Human Nature
by NCC-0419
Summary: Mercedes Jones had not been home to Lima, Ohio since she left for college in 5 years earlier. But the sudden decline in her beloved grandmother's health forces her to come back to her home town, and her first love: Sam Evans. Set in the 1950's, inspired by Summer Lovin' and Grease.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay so this is my very first FanFiction...EVER. I was just super inspired (and deeply heartbroken) about the news of Samcedes split in Glee S4, but mostly inspired by the couples infamous ****_Summer Lovin_****' duet from the musical ****_Grease_****. So I set this story in the time period in which Grease was set, the 1950's. I titled it ****_Human Nature_**** b/c of our fav couple's first lovely duet together, but also b/c of the race issues of the time, which of course will come into play into the story. The first few chapters will be pretty tame of foul language and sex references, but all of that will be thrown out the window eventually. I hope you guys like it, feedback is of course welcome. I do not own Glee or any works by William Shakespeare. **

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_In the old age black was not counted fair,_

_Or if it were, it bore not beauty's name;_

_But now is black beauty's successive heir,_

_And beauty slandered with a bastard shame:_

_For since each hand hath put on Nature's power,_

_Fairing the foul with Art's false borrowed face,_

_Sweet beauty hath no name, no holy bower,_

_But is profaned, if not lives in disgrace._

_Therefore my mistress' eyes are raven black,_

_Her eyes so suited, and they mourners seem_

_At such who, not born fair, no beauty lack,_

_Sland'ring creation with a false esteem:_

_Yet so they mourn becoming of their woe,_

_That every tongue says beauty should look so._

Mercedes Jones hadn't been home to Ohio since 1951. She had left in search of higher education up in Canada and had planned to stay there; until that faithful day when her landlord had dropped off her mail and she found the letter from her mother stating that her grandmother was terribly ill. She had to go back. She had no idea how much time her beloved grandmother had left. Although she wrote her family on monthly, sometimes weekly basis, she was still rather anxious about _seeing_ them.

As she drove into Lima city limits she couldn't help but slow down to see how much her little town had changed in 5 years. As she drove into the downtown area she marveled at how little things had changed. It comforted her in a small way, to know that her hometown was still the same, but frightened her also. She recalled being denied entry into many stores because of her race, having to walk off of the sidewalk if a white person was also on it, not being able to go to the good schools because of segregation.

But there were good memories too; she had her first date with Matt Rutherford at the diner when she was a senior in high school, or sneaking into the drive-in movie with her friends on warm Saturday nights. As she cruised to a halt in front of her parents tiny two bedroom house, she nervously fixed her hair and clothes in the rearview mirror, flew out the last of her cigarette, and took one last calming breath before exiting her 1947 Chevrolet and walk up the dirt walkway to her parents modest home and knocking on the door. She smoothed down her fitted navy blue sheath dress one last time before the door opened and she was greeted by the brown eyes of her mother.

"My baby!" Dorothy Jones exclaimed as she enveloped her daughter into a tight hug.

"Hi mama." Mercedes sighed as she let herself melt into the hug.

"Dorothy! Dorothy who that at the door? Is she here?" Mercedes heard her father yell from the back of the house.

"Yes Robert, it's her!" Dorothy yelled back to her husband as she let Mercedes into the house and shut the door.

"Is that my little Fatty Bread?" Robert asked as he rounded the corner, wiping cooking oil off of his hands with a towel, and was soon followed by her older brother Robert Jr.

"Yes daddy it's me." Mercedes forced a laugh at the old nickname.

"Well she's not Fatty Bread anymore pop's. Look at her! Like a negro Jayne Mansfield." Her brother laughed, but with a slightly shocked look on his face.

Yes Mercedes had been very chubby growing up, being showered in soul food, and not growing into her weight like her brother; she was short and a pudgy when she left for university. But being away from her mother's home cooking, and having to deal with the stress of being not only in College but in a different country, left Mercedes more than a little stressed the first year. The stress however, was a blessing in disguise; her 'baby fat' melted into sensual curves as she grew a few inches taller. As she noted that her clothes were falling off of her, she picked up a new wardrobe along with her new diet. Although she now had the body of a curvaceous bombshell, she was still a little insecure in her own skin; she had spent 19 years of her life being the heavier girl. This new body took some getting used to.

"Oh cool it Robbie." Mercedes giggled as she swatted her brother's arm.

"Hey I'm just speaking the word from the bird." Robbie laughed as he hugged his baby sister.

"Well you always be my Fatty Bread! Don't care what anyone say." Robert said as he engulfed his only daughter in hug.

She really hadn't realized how much she had missed her family until now. Being back in their family home, with them, it just felt right.

"So how's me-maw?" Mercedes asked, concerning her grandmother. She was anxious to see her; they didn't say what was wrong with her in the letter Mercedes received. "She been better these last few days. But I think its cause she knew you was coming." Dorothy said as she smiled weakly at her daughter.

Mercedes nodded her head in understanding. She knew what her mother was getting at; it had been years since she had seen her family, much less visit her hometown. She was very close with them but her grandmother especially, she could feel the cloud of guilt wash over her as she stood there thinking about how she had lived her life away from her loved ones.

"Where is she?" Mercedes asked.

"She in the last room on the left." Robert answered, pointing down the hall as he moved back into the kitchen to finish cooking.

Mercedes made her way into the dimly lit room and paused as she saw how tiny and frail her grandmother looked under several blankets in the bed. She had to choke back a sob as she took her in; she looked almost nothing like the sturdy, heavyset woman she grew up with.

She slowly made her way to the side of the bed, trying not to wake her from her peaceful slumber. She had just made it to the side of the bed when she noticed her grandmother stirring awake.

"Is that my lil angel?" her grandmother Barbara asked as she looked up at Mercedes.

"Yes ma'am, it's me." Mercedes chuckled at the nickname she actually missed hearing.

"Well c'mere gal. Lemme look at ya." Barbara demanded as she sat herself up. Mercedes noticed that while she looked like a weaker shell of her former self she still sounded the exact same, a soothing voice that somehow commanded power at the same time.

Mercedes went and grabbed a nearby handmade wooden chair, placed it as close to the bed as she could before sitting down.

"Look at baby. All growed up." Barbara said as he took in the sight of her favorite granddaughter.

Mercedes grasped her grandmother's hand while trying to hide a shy smile.

"How are you holding up memaw?" She asked.

"Well I's still up walkin and talkin. So I's say I's blessed." Barbara replied with a smile as she squeezed Mercedes hand. She could tell her granddaughter was worried about her health and that was why she was there, she could also see the tears starting to form in corner of Mercedes eyes as she struggled to hide them behind a smile.

"But I's know how I's doin. I wanna hear bout you and that fancy schoolin you got up North." Barbara changed the subject.

Mercedes took a deep breath before responding, struggling to keep her voice from breaking.

"It was really good memaw. Canada is great, and the school was amazing. There were so many class options that were open to everyone. The people there were extremely warm and welcoming. And it was surprisingly easy to get around there, you know, with no 'Colored Only' signs making things more difficult." Mercedes gushed.

"Hmm. Sound like heaven to me." Barbara said with a bright smile, happy to see that the subject change had set her granddaughter in the right mood.

"I wouldn't say that. I don't think heaven gets as cold as Vancouver." Mercedes and her grandmother laughed.

"Okay memaw enough of the distractions. Tell me what's wrong with you." Mercedes asked her grandmother seriously.

Barbara took a deep sigh before responding.

"I's sick lil angel, real sick. Somethin the midwife call Cancer."

Mercedes gasped as she clamped a hand over her mouth, tears immediately returning to her brown eyes.

"It's okay baby, ev'ryone gots to go sometime. Don't you be sad about that Mercedes Amber Jones. I's damn near 85 years old. The good lord done blessed me with a long, good life. I done seen some things, some and good and bad; but I's wouldn't change a thing about it. So you just go 'on and dry them there tears, ya hear." Barbara told her granddaughter sternly as she wiped at some of the tears that streamed down Mercedes face.

Mercedes obediently nodded her head and wiped her hand across her face. Once she calmed down about half an hour later, she and Barbara started talking more about Mercedes life in Canada and how it differed drastically from her upbringing in Ohio and that lead to the two women laughing and reminiscing on Mercedes childhood.

"You remember that there white family me and your mama worked for?" Barbara asked her granddaughter as their mutual giggles finally settled down.

"Um, yes ma'am, the Evans." Mercedes clarified, a little confused as to why her grandmother was bringing up the people she hadn't seen since before she left for school.

"Well that boy of theirs has been by to see me. Sam." Barbara said as she smoothed out her blanket. She her granddaughter had carried a torch for the cute little white when she was growing up, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"Oh he has? That's sweet of him." Mercedes said, trying to keep her voice even, she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about Sammy Evans and his family in the short time she had been in town.

They were extremely kind to her and her family growing up. While most other white families would've turned their noses up at the poor black family, the Evans treated them like kin. She played freely amongst the grounds of the Evan estate alongside Sammy, his brother and sister Stevie and Stacy, the prissy but sweet Quinn Fabray, Artie Abrams, who was crippled at a young age due to polio, the stereotypical ditsy blonde, Brittany Pierce, Brittany's close Latina friend and all around bully Santana Lopez, the unnaturally tall Finn Hudson, and Sammy's Jewish friend Noah Puckerman. Mrs. Evans would often fondly joke that she had the mini United Nations running around her house. Mercedes had fond memories of those times; she shared her first kiss with little Sammy Evans at age 16 behind the huge oak tree in his backyard during her 16th birthday which the Evans so kindly helped with, she had her first ever fight with Santana Lopez when she was 13, she went down but got in her fair share of hits, her first time in a swimming pool was when Brittany and Puck taught her how to swim. She chuckled inwardly as she remembered pushing Artie around in his wheelchair as they played hide and seek with the younger Evans children, or when she and Quinn tried and failed to give one another makeovers to resemble pin-ups.

"Yes he has, and he had asked me if you was comin' down here." Barbara said as she closely watched her granddaughter's reaction. Mercedes was snapped out of her memory daze as she heard her grandmother's words.

"He-he asked about me? Why?" Mercedes asked with deep confusion.

"Do I look like a mind reader? You gone have to ask him when ya see him, now aint cha?" Barbara demanded with a slight chuckle. Mercedes giggled nervously and was about to respond until she heard her mother calling her name. She excused herself from Barbara's presence, and went to tend to her mother.

"That your Chevy out there?" Dorothy asked her daughter, never looking up from dicing onions in the small kitchen.

"Yes ma'am, its mine." Mercedes stated simply.

"Hey sis how'd you get that chariot of yours?" Robbie asked from the couch in the living room where he sat listening to the radio with their father.

"How else would I have gotten it germ. I bought it." Mercedes said back to her brother as he was now looking out of the window at her car.

"Mm-hmm. Where'd you get the bread for that kind of car?" Robbie asked as he eyed his baby sister suspiciously. He didn't want to find out that his sister had some sugar daddy giving her things just so he could show her off like some accessory.

"Are you writing a book? I was talking to mama before you so rudely interrupted, so either pay dead or tune out!" Mercedes said as she placed a hand on her hip, challenging her brother.

"Hey easy there ankle biter, why so salty? I was only trying to get the skinny on your new rod." Robbie explained, trying to calm his sister who he knew could get as sassy and brazen as their mother.

"Whatever bug." Mercedes mumbled as she turned back to her mother who was too busy buzzing around the kitchen to noticed her children's conversation.

"Oh thank the lord, here it is." Dorothy exclaimed as she handed her daughter a piece of paper with a list of food on it.

"Go 'on and get that stuff for me so I can have it for dinner tomorrow." Dorothy demanded.

Mercedes gave her brother one last side eye as she walked out of the door to her car and drove to the nearby grocery store. She kept looking around at the people present in the store to see if any faces rang a bell, she was so busy looking at the back of a tanned skin woman when she suddenly collided with a tall hard body. She stumbled forward but was steadied by the strong pale hands of the stranger she had run into, both of them apologizing until they finally met eyes and Mercedes swore at that moment her heart had stopped.

"Mercedes? Mercedes Jones?" the handsome blonde with alluring green eyes asked hopefully.

"Sammy." Mercedes gasped breathlessly.

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**So what do you think? The way I picture Mercedes for this story is like Joan from Mad Men, the classic and sentual hourglass figure that was popular for the time period, but still a little thicker. Kurt will DEF be coming into the story as her bestie of course, but I'm debating whether or not Berry should be in it, and if so what type of role she will play into the upcoming character dynamics. Please leave feedback. THANKS! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So flattered by all the support and love I recieved on the first chapter. So here's a little something I stayed up ALL night (and morning) trying to make this just as great as you all make Ch.1 seem. I'll let be the judge of how it came out, Im extremely tired so sorry if it sucks, but excited for your reactions. Thanks for the love!**

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Mercedes was shell shocked as she stared up into the eyes of the boy, no _man_, standing before her, whose hand was still on her hip.

Sam was sure his eyes had been deceiving him, when he first saw the ebony beauty walk into the store. He quickly followed behind her into the store and tailed her for a while, taken by her effortless beauty, and familiar, welcoming face. He knew he had to find some way to approach her; she was his Mercy after all. He knew it was her, her grandmother said she would be back in town. Besides, he'd spent enough time watching that ass of hers in his childhood, he would recognize it blindfolded in the dark.

"Wow Sammy, look at you!" Mercedes exclaimed as she finally shook them both out of their private revere, as they both reluctantly stepped away from each other.

"Look at me? Dollface look at you!" Sam said as he playfully spun her around, causing her to giggle. _God she looks amazing! _Sam thought. He hadn't realized how much he missed that sound until now. He was going to have to find a subtle way to adjust himself since they were in public.

Speaking of public, they had all but forgotten they were right in the middle of the grocery store, and were receiving strange look from a few of the older patrons.

They quickly separated and silently made their way further down the aisle as Mercedes grabbed the needed things off of the shelf and into her basket, all the while avoiding Sam's piercing gaze.

"Sammy. _Please _stop staring at me like I have diamonds in my ear!" Mercedes demanded, finally stopping to look at him.

"I'm sorry but, you're razzing my berries right now baby." Sam admitted as he shamelessly looked her up and down hungrily.

"Make yourself useful and carry this for me instead of talking all that apple butter." Mercedes said as she laughed off the complement and thrust the basket into Sam's hands.

"Anything Dollface." Sam said with a lopsided grin.

They walked through the store collecting groceries as they talked and laughed about old times, finding it rather easy to ignore snide looks coming from a few other patrons; until they finally reached the check-out line. They were so busy being wrapped up in the others company that they hadn't noticed the cashier until he spoke to them, well _spoke down _to them.

"White's only. Colored line is down there." He spoke curtly, looking past the 3 other empty _white only_ check-out lanes to the long line at the one _colored only_ line.

Mercedes released an agitated sigh. _UGH! One of the many things I did not miss while in Canada_. Mercedes thought. She was just about to reluctantly head toward the other line when she felt Sam grip her wrist to keep her from moving. She took in his clenched jaw and the deathly glare he was shooting towards the cashier.

"_I'm_ buying it, grundy. So wring it up!" Sam said through clenched teeth as he slammed the basket on the counter. _Asshole._

Both the cashier and Mercedes were stunned silent as Sam silently seethed.

"Thank you Sam, but you didn't have to do that." Mercedes said as she stepped in front of him to still his walking as they stood outside of the store.

"Did you get treated like that up in Canada Mercy?" Sam asked as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his black straight leg jeans.

"No-"

"Then you shouldn't be treated that way here." Sam said, as he cut her off, looking directly into her big brown eyes.

She nodded light in understanding, causing a piece of thick black hair to fall onto her cheek. Sam had to squeeze his fists together in his pockets to keep from sweeping the hair off of her cheek. They stood there silently staring at each other, not realizing that were steadily coming closer together until Mercedes had to bend her head back a little further to keep eye contact. At that realization they both laughed.

"God I missed you." Mercedes sighed before she could stop herself.

"I missed you too Mercy. Let me walk you to your car."

There was that silence again, where they only thing they could hear was the crackling of the air around as they could feel the sparks between them.

"Hey mercy, what's the word on you for the week?" Sam asked as opened the door for Mercedes.

"Hmm. Well you know spending time with memaw and my keepers and the germ." Mercedes said as she placed the bags on the passenger seat.

"Why?" she asked as she turned back to Sam, who leaning on her open car door.

"Well whenever you're free we could you know, head to the drive-in, shoot the breeze, you know, whatever." Sam trailed off as he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Sammy Evans are you asking me out?" Mercedes asked as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Are you saying yes?" Sam asked.

_Yes! Yes! YES! _Her mind screamed.

"Yes. You can take me to a drive-in or shoot the breeze or whatever." Mercedes giggled as she mocked his deep voice.

"Cool beans! So what day are you free?" Sam said excitedly.

"I'll clue you in later Evans." She said as she slid into the car and rolled down the window.

"Hey, just don't, uh, tell Robbie. Okay?" Sam asked as she shut her door.

"He doesn't still have it out for you does he?" Mercedes asked.

"Yeah. He does." Sam mumbled.

"Well lucky for you flutter bum, I'm a grown ass woman, who doesn't need her brother's permission to go out." Mercedes stated.

"Sassy as ever Dollface." Sam said with a wide smile.

"Damn straight. Now hit it so I can go home, before they start worry." Mercedes said as she started up her Chevy.

"See you later gator?" Sam asked hopefully as he stepped away from her car.

"After a while crocodile." Mercedes called as she speed away.

Leaving Sam Evans a smiling, fist pumping vision in her rearview mirror.

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**Just a little 50's slang translator: **

**Dollface- beautiful girl, boo**

**Razz my berries- to excite or impress **

**Apple butter- smooth talk, flattery**

**Grundy- bad person (jackass, asshole, etc.)**

**Word- the news **

**Word from the bird- the truth (Ch.1)**

**Keepers- parents **

**Germ- pest **

**Shoot the breeze- relax, chill**

**Chariot- car (Ch.1)**

**Bread- money (Ch.1)**

**Are you writing a book?- asking too many questions (Ch.1)**

**Play dead- keep quiet (Ch.1)**

**Tune out- go away (Ch.1)**

**Ankle biter- child (Ch.1)**

**Salty- upset (Ch.1) **

** Oh yeah! Thoughts are in ****_italics. _****Thanks for the support. Leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you guys for being patient, I hope this chapter was worth the wait. I'm also thrilled that you guys are loving Summer Lovin' as much as this story. So enjoy, and as always thanks for the support and love. **

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It had been about a week since Sam had last spoken to Mercedes. He wanted to go by her house to talk to her, or just see her. But every time he rode by her parent's house he would see her father's pickup truck and knew that Robbie was there.

Sam wasn't afraid of Robbie; he just didn't want any trouble. Robbie was one of the first people to notice the growing attraction between Mercedes and Sam when they were growing up, and he was not fond of it or the blonde haired white boy that had captured his sister's attention. Sam knew there was tension between he and Robbie was bad, but it got worse after he kissed Mercedes at her 16th birthday. He saw Robbie staring at them after the kiss and saw the deathly look in his eyes. He avoided him from that moment on.

Sam was sitting on the couch in Puck's apartment, thinking about how was going to get to see Mercedes again, when he heard Puck come in.

"Hey man. You still thinking about little mama?" Puck asked as he looked at his friend who was deep in thought.

"Yeah. I was so cranked to see her. Now it's just dead air." Sam sighed sadly.

"Alright, I'm sick of watching you sit around and be a pooper. Get off your ass and come with me into town. I got to go park it at the post office." Puck said as he pulled his friend off of his couch.

They rode into town and ran into the post office to get a package sent to Puck from his family in Germany. They were just coming out of the post office when Puck thought he spotted someone familiar.

"Hey check out the classy chassis across the street." Puck said to Sam as he pointed to a petite black woman across the street outside of the Ohio Inquirer building.

"That's Mercy!" Sam said excitedly as he quickly crossed the street towards her, calling her name.

"Holy shit, _that's _Mercy." Puck mumbled in disbelief, before he quickly ran to catch up with him.

As Puck came up he could see the duo talking and smiling while standing close to each other.

"Oh my god, Puck! Get your ass over here boy." Mercedes exclaimed as she finally set eyes on Puckerman.

Puck smiled brightly, and snidely stuck his tongue out at Sam as he scooped Mercedes into a tight hug.

"Wow look at you little mama. Still pocket size I see." Puck laughed as he stepped back to look down at her.

"Hey! It's better than being a big bull!" Mercedes laughed back as she smacked Pucks big bicep.

"Baby these guns are fully loaded, and here for you whenever you're ready." Puck said as he flexed and kissed both arms.

Even Sam had to laugh at how ridiculous his friend was being as all three friends fell into a fit of laughter.

"So what are you doing around the Inquirer Dolly?" Puck asked.

"I went in looking for a journalism job, but all they had opened was a slot for a fashion co-columnist." Mercedes said with a wave of her hand as she rolled her eyes.

"So who's the lucky lady you're going to working with?" Sam asked as he moved closer to her side.

"It's a he actually. His name is Kurt Hummel. Very charming and a little on the dramatic side." Mercedes explained as she smiled at the memory of the tall porcelain skinned boy with dapper clothes and a friendly and loveable personality. She had met a few guys like Kurt when she went to Davie Village in Vancouver.

"Oh that's Finn new brother!" Puck exclaimed, as he was finally able to remember the name.

"Finn's _new_ brother? What is he a hot rod?" Mercedes asked as she looked between boys confused.

"He's hardly new; Finn's mom and Kurt's pop got circled about four years ago." Sam explained to Mercedes, as he shot Puck a discouraging look.

"Way to quote me Evans." Puck mumbled, just then he was struck with a great idea.

"Hey why don't you make the scene at my birthday party? Evans is throwing me this bash at the old Evans Family ranch." Puck said as he nudged Sam.

"Alright I'll be there. But I hope you're not expecting a gift cause I'm skinny at the moment." Mercedes explained.

"Your presence will be enough shortcake." Puck said, as they started walking nowhere in particular.

"We better split, gotta get ready for my shindig, right Evans." Puck said as he hit Sam in the arm.

"I'll meet you at the car." Sam said as he cast a knowing look at Puck.

"Okay I'm hep. Later shortcake." Puck said as he walked away.

Sam finally turned back towards Mercedes to find her smiling widely at him. He returned the smile, and was hit with déjà vu as they walked towards her car again.

"Alright Miss Mercedes Jones, I'm taking you on a date. Tomorrow night you are gonna meet up to my apartment and you and I are going to the drive-in." Sam declared as he stopped in front of Mercedes.

The petite brown woman crossed her arms over her ample chest and stared at him with and amused smile that got even bigger when Sam did the same, as they stood there squaring off.

"Okay flutter bug, but I get to pick the time and the flick." She said stepping closer to him challengingly.

"Say the word Dollface." Sam said moving closer to her.

"I'll be there at 8pm and we're gonna see The Creature from the Black Lagoon. That is of course, if you're not too scared to peep it." Mercedes flirted in a low tone of voice.

"Oh I'm hip to horror movies Mercy, and my shoulder will be there for you to hide your pretty little face into." Sam flirted right back. Mercedes raked her eyes up and down Sam's body slowly.

"You're on Daddy-O." she whispered. She hopped in her car, still smiling at Sam, and sped home to get ready for the party.

"Oh shut the hell up you spaz and spin the damn bottle!" Santana slurred loudly as everyone laughed.

_Puck's 24__th__ birthday party had been in full swing for about half an hour before Mercedes showed up. It was like she had stepped into a time machine as soon as she got to Sam's house. When she rang the doorbell she was greeted by a perfectly aged Mary Evans _

_"Mercedes. Oh dear come here, give me a hug!" Mary gasped as she pulled Mercedes into the house for a tight hug. _

_"Hi Mrs. Evans." Mercedes beamed as she pulled away from Mary to look at her. _

_"Oh, dear, please call me Mary. You're a woman now; we can be on first name basis." Mary said with a laugh as she hugged Mercedes to her side as they started walking through the house towards the backdoor._

_"Will do Mrs. - I mean Mary." Mercedes said with a blush. _

_"Well everyone is in the backyard, Noah and Sam keep asking about you, so you shouldn't keep them waiting." She said with a knowing smile as she escorted her outside, before returning to the house. _

_Mercedes walked across the deck and had just reached the stairs when she heard someone wail her name. She looked up to find Brittany running towards her excitedly; she sprinted down the last few steps just in time to meet the powerful hug from the thrilled girl. _

_"Mercy! You mad it! I thought Canada wasn't going to let you come." Brittany exclaimed as she hugged her friend. _

_"Yeah Canada let come, Brit." Mercedes laughed, as she looked over Brittany's shoulder and saw all of her childhood friends across the yard. _

_"Come on, everyone's gotta get a chance to have your hip hugs!" Brittany said as she dragged Mercedes towards the group. _

_Mercedes was just getting acquainted to Mike Chang, an impossibly handsome Asian guy that worked with Puck at the steel mill, and his wife Tina when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and was face to face with Santana. _

_"How's it hangin' Dandridge?" Santana asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared Mercedes down_

_"Swinging pretty low Moreno." Mercedes said, mirroring Santana's stance. They stood there staring each other down critically before bursting into laughter and hugging one another. _

_"You haven't changed for dime, Santana!" Mercedes exclaimed as she and Santana hugged. _

_"Well you've changed like crazy. I hope you didn't go up North and go all Madison Avenue on us." Santana said as she looked Mercedes up and down. _

_"Hey cool it! I'm still the same earthbound girl I was when I left. I'm just more of a woman now." She laughed. _

_"A woman with classist chassis I've ever seen! C'mere girl!" Mercedes turned around to see Artie sitting behind her. _

_"Well well. You remind me of an old pal of mine; only much more handsome." Mercedes joking flirted as she sat in Artie's lap. _

_Artie had a wide smile on his face as Mercedes teasingly ran her finger down his chest. _

_"It must be __**my **__birthday. What do I have to do to get you back to my pad?" Artie asked with a wink. _

_"Sorry Artie, but I already called dibs on this Dolly." Sam said as he came up beside them. _

_"I guess I've been claimed already." Mercedes giggled as she stood up and went into Sam's arms. "I haven't seen Puck since I got here. Is the birthday boy cutting out on his own bash?" Mercedes asked as she looked up at Sam. _

_"No, he's off somewhere necking with Quinn." Sam said as he looked around, trying to see if he could spot his friend around all the balloons, tables, and people. _

_"Puck and Quinn?! No wonder I hadn't seen her around." Mercedes gasped. _

_"Yep. How bout we go somewhere and mirror them." Sam said with a devilish grin as he pulled her closer. _

_"Oh no you don't apple butter! You gotta wait til after our date or until you get me drunk." Mercedes joked. _

_"Somebody get me two brews!" Sam yelled out to no one in particular as Mercedes laughed and smacked his chest as he grinned down at her. _

_"The love birds are finally back from "the kitchen"." Santana said loudly as she spotted Quinn and Puck coming down the deck stairs. _

_Mercedes broke away to go greet the couple with hugs and laughs before Artie yelled about playing spin the bottle about an hour later. _

"Oh cut the gas Santana, I'm going!" Sam slightly slurred as he grabbed the bottle and spun it in the middle of the circle of friends, praying that it landed on Mercedes.

So far lady luck had not been on his side as the bottle had landed on Brittany and Santana, while he had to sit back and watch Mercedes kiss Artie. Just his luck the bottle landed on the birthday boy.

"Bro I'm not gonna smooch on you!" Puck yelled as everyone giggled.

"Nooooooo! The rules are you gotta kiss the person, or the person has to pick someone for you to kiss!" Tina drunkenly yelled.

Sam was trying his damnedest to telepathically get Puck to pick Mercedes.

"Hmmm… Since it's my bash I pick…" Puck drew out his answer.

_Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! Mercy! _Sam's mind was screaming.

"Shortcake!" Puck finally exclaimed.

"Wait. Sam has to make out with a cake? I wanna do it." Brittany said.

Sam was fist pumping like a mad man on the inside, but on the outside he just crawled to the middle of the circle was Mercedes was already waiting for him.

"So does this mean you're drunk?" Sam whispered as he gently grabbed the side of Mercedes face.

"Kiss me and you can find out." Mercedes whispered back as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her.

The catcalls and whistles from their friends was white noise to them as they got lost in the kiss, Sam had just started to probe at Mercedes lips with his tongue when he felt himself being pulled back by his arm.

"Alright alright cool it you two! Save the bingo for the bedroom." Quinn said as she pulled Mercedes back down beside her.

"You're one to talk Quinn." Sam and Mercedes said at the same time, causing the whole party to burst into tipsy laughter.

The party started to wind down as people started to leave or in Santana's case pass out. As everyone got into their cars and headed home after sharing hugs and wishing Puck happy birthday, Sam and Mercedes stole a few private moments to share brief chaste kisses and go over their plans for the next night before Sam reluctantly let her go home.

He was in the backyard cleaning up when his mother came out to offer her help.

"It's okay mom, I got it." Sam reassured her as he kissed his mother on the cheek.

Mary smiled at her son as she told him that she had just received a call from his little brother and sister who were attending college in New England.

"When's dad coming home?" Sam asked, he didn't want to leave his mother alone in the big two story house by herself, but his dad was all about hard work.

Even if it meant staying in the office for hours on end, and nearly forgetting your family. Sam never wanted to be like that. When he was offered a job at Atlas Comics he jumped on the opportunity to do some work on the new up and coming comic known as Marvel.

"I assume he's on his way out, it's" Mary paused to look at her wrist watch. "after midnight. But with Dwight you just never know." Mary said with a sad shrug.

She knew Dwight was having an affair with one of the young secretaries in his office, but then again she had known that since Sam was in high school. She just resigned to thinking that as long as he came home to her and their children every day, she would tolerate it.

"Do you want me to stay here with you mom?" Sam asked his mother as he picked the last of trash in one hand, and the folded table and chairs in the other.

"Samuel Chord Evans, I have lived in this house for 30 years. I do not need you here to watch me as if I am a child. Go home honey, you'll need your rest for your date tomorrow." Mary said she locked the backdoor and walked with Sam towards the front door.

"How did you know about my date tomorrow?!" Sam asked confusedly as he turned towards his mother in shock.

"I'm a mother dear, I know everything." Mary said simply as she all but shoved Sam out of the front door.

Sam stood there shocked for a while, just staring at the door, before he finally laughed and headed home, ready to take his mother's advice.

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**The date is coming next! YAY! DRIVE-IN DATE! :-) **


	4. Chapter 4

**Extra sorry that I keep forgeting to put the slang translation's. Hope you enjoy the update! **

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"Where are you off to in such a hurry honey bee?" Kurt Hummel asked Mercedes as he walked up to find her hurriedly cleaning up her side of their shared work space.

"Oh nothing, I'm just going to the drive-in tonight to with Sam." Mercedes tried to say nonchalantly, but was unable to keep the grin off of her face.

"Hmm, why do I get the feeling that this more than just a friendly trip to the passion pit?" Kurt asked with a sly smile as he sat on the edge of the desk and lit a cigarette.

"Hey Kurt, we dig each other right?" Mercedes asked as she sat near Kurt on the desk.

"Considering we've only known each other two days, and I've let you have 5 cashmere scarves because they would be perfect for your skin tone, P.S. I'm still jealous; yeah I would say we dig one another." Kurt said as he plucked some lint off of his black blazer with a smile.

"That's boss. So if I tell you something can you stay zip lipped?" Mercedes asked as she leaned in to whisper to Kurt, who just nodded excitedly as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"I – I like Sam as more than a friend." Mercedes stammered as Kurt looked at her expectantly.

"And I'm a friend of Dorothy." Kurt said with a bored expression as he put the cigarette in a nearby ashtray and stood away from the desk.

"What? Wait what does have to do with anything?" Mercedes asked confused.

"Oh I'm sorry. I thought we were stating obvious facts about ourselves." Kurt said as he put his hands on his hips while giving her a glaring look until they started to giggle.

"God is it "God is it _that_ obvious?" Mercedes asked as they finally settled down.

"As a broken record, honey bee." Kurt said as he handed Mercedes her purse.

"It doesn't bother you does it? I mean I could really give a dime if it does, but you know we do have to work together." She said as she stopped to look at Kurt seriously.

"My lifestyle with Blaine doesn't bother you does it?" Kurt asked just as seriously.

"Of course not, we dig each other and Blaine is as cute as a peach with that bow tie." Mercedes said as she gestured towards the picture of Blaine on Kurt's side of the desk; Kurt smiled at the thought of his boyfriend who was currently working part time as a screen actor.

"Well then consider me your better half queen." Kurt said as they joined arms and walked out of the building smiling.

"Mama! Daddy! I'm going out; I'll be back later tonight." Mercedes said as she took one last look in the mirror to fix her red halter dress with sweet-heart neckline and circle waist.

"Mama's in the room with memaw and pop's in the backyard. Where are you going anyway?" Robbie said as he came out of the bathroom.

"Out with a friend." She said as she smoothed down her curls.

"Is it a guy friend? That why you all dressed up? Some Joe Doe taking you out?" Robbie asked as he leaned against the wall in front of her.

"Jesus Robbie why do you have to question everything I do? I'm a grown woman; I think I can go out without the damn telescope from you every single time." Mercedes exclaimed in annoyance as she looked at Robbie with her hands on her hips.

"You're my baby sister; I have to make sure you're being safe." Robbie murmured.

"That's just it Robbie, I'm not a baby anymore. I can take care of myself, I promise." Mercedes said softly as she put her hand on her brother's shoulder to reassure him, as he nodded in understanding.

"Tell mama and daddy that I'm out, but I'll be back later. And that I'm going to start looking for an apartment." She said as she grabbed her purse and car key.

"What's wrong with staying here with us?" Robbie asked after her.

"Robbie, I love you, but I swore I would _never_ share a bathroom wife you again." Mercedes said over her shoulder, as she left the house. The last thing she heard before speeding off was her brother's hearty laugh.

She screeched to halt in front of the Evan's home to find Sam sitting on the front porch; she just stared at him in his black skinny leg jeans, white shirt and black leather jacket. She had to stop herself from drooling; she finally got out of the car and approached him just as he put out his cigarette.

"There you are! I was afraid you were gonna stand me up." Sam said with a chuckle as he descended the stairs to stand in front of her.

"I would never stand you up Sammy." Mercedes said with a shy smile.

"You look boss Mercy. You in that dress is really cookin'." Sam complemented.

"Thanks. You look pretty smooth yourself flutter bum." Mercedes complemented back as they stared at each other until Sam suggested that they head over to the movies.

"Like I told you before Dollface, my shoulder is here when you get scared." Sam said as they sat in his blue and white 55' Packard, as the movie started on the huge screen in front of them.

"You may end up needing my shoulder flutter bum, so you better cool it." Mercedes laughed as the opening scene played across the screen.

They were settling into the movie nicely, laughing and joking; and were even able to ignore the dirty looks and murmurs from other cars. Suddenly a scene when the Creature from the lagoon popped up, causing them both to jump, and laugh. Their laughter died down as they heard a loud moan from a nearby car, they looked around and noticed that many cars were shifting back and forth slightly. Sam looked down at Mercedes as he slides his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him.

"Sammy." She gasped. She could feel his eyes bearing into her, reflecting all the things she was feeling in that moment.

"_God, _I love when you call me that Mercy." Sam groaned softly, resting his forehead against hers.

Sam pressed his mouth softly to hers, pulling back slightly to rub his nose against hers before repeating the action teasingly. He was just about to do it again when Mercedes promptly grabbed the side of his face, pulling him into a deeper kiss. Sam moaned into the kiss as Mercedes teased his lips with her tongue until he opened his mouth, allowing their tongues to sweep across the other slowly.

Mercedes pulled away to catch her breath as Sam continued to trail soft kisses across her neck.

"Sammy. I'm so…" she drifted off, getting lost in the feel of his lips on her clavicle.

"You're so what, Mercy?" Sam asked absently. All he could really think about was how good she tasted as he softly sucked on her neck, or how intoxicating her scent was.

"So wet." She whispered so softly Sam wasn't sure if he had only imagined her saying it; but as looked at the way she was looking at from under her impossibly long lashes, or the way she was subtly biting her lip, her knew he was right.

"Oh my sweet fuck." Sam groaned as he attacked her lips roughly with his.

Mercedes eased back until Sam was lying on top of her, as their tongues battled for supremacy. Sam inched his fingers up her skirt, rubbing the soft skin of her thighs under her garter belt. She pushed him away long enough to push the leather jacket off his broad shoulders before pulling him back down to her waiting mouth. Sam slowly slid between her thighs to grind himself into her.

"You like that baby?" Sam groaned as he felt her hot wetness through his jeans

"Mmm! Yes Sammy. Please don't stop." Mercedes moaned into his ear, nearly sending him over the edge.

Sam thrust his hands under her thighs as she lifted her hips up further as they continued to grind into each other roughly.

They continued to move each other, as Sam swallowing Mercedes moan as she climaxed with a kiss as he spilled himself into his pants. Sam reached into the glove box and pulled out some tissues so they could clean themselves. Sam turned to Mercedes to smooth her hair back into place as she wiped her lipstick off of his face. They cuddled close together, trying to get back into the film, but unable to stop touching one another, or control their laughter when a loud moan or lusty curse would escape from a nearby car.

"I guess we're not the only ones who couldn't cool it." Sam whispered.

"I guess not." Mercedes said as she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Woah. Hold on Dollface, I was able to stay cool the last make out, but don't quiz fate twice." Sam said softly but sternly as he haltingly pulled away.

Mercedes reluctantly let go and tried not to pout as the credits started to roll. Sam saw Mercedes's poked out lip and laughed before tilting her face towards his.

"Trust me Mercy; we will have another make out." Sam said, kissing her quickly, restoring her smile.

Just as they finally truly calmed down enough to get back into the movie, the credits started to show, they noticed other couples were trying to hurriedly pull on clothes before anyone could see them.

They pulled out of the drive-in and drove around town for a while, all the while with Mercedes tucked closely to Sam's side as they sang along to the radio.

"When are your keepers expecting you back?" Sam asked as they sat in his car outside of his parent's house.

Mercedes looked at her watch and saw that it was nearly midnight. She didn't _have _to go back to her parent's home now, but she knew that Robbie or her dad would be waiting up for her. One more reason she needed to go apartment hunting.

"I should probably split now. I don't want them to worry." She sighed, as Sam mirrored her reaction.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I really need my own pad." Mercedes sighed.

"You could always move in with me. You know, shack up." Sam whispered as her he gently rubbed her cheek.

"What kind of girl do you take me for?" Mercedes giggled, resting her hand on Sam's leg, rubbing up and down his thigh.

"The type of girl who's as real gone about me as I am about her." Sam whispered before pulling her in for a gentle kiss as Mercedes wrapped her arms around his neck.

Suddenly there was a knock at the driver side window, causing both Sam and Mercedes to startle. Sam looked over to see his father Dwight standing by the driver side door, trying to look around Sam to see who was with. Sam tried to open his door but his father wouldn't step back far enough for him to open his door, he _really _wanted to see who his son was with.

Dwight could see his son turn and say something to the mystery lady he was lip locked to just minutes before. He didn't appreciate coming from a hard day's work to find his oldest son acting in public displays of affection with some girl. He could only hope that he had come to his senses and started dating that Quinn Fabray girl again, they made the picture perfect couple.

He was pulled out of private thoughts when he saw a head of curly black hair emerge followed closely behind by his Sam. Dwight recognized the short ebony girl; she used to reside at his house when they were young children. He couldn't help but think of how nicely she had grown up as they rounded the car and came to stand in front of him.

"Hi Mr. Evans, nice to see to see you again." Mercedes said as she looked up at Dwight.

"Hello Mercedes. Samuel. So is there a reason you two were held up in the car, is something wrong?" Dwight asked, as Sam shook his head in shame.

"No dad, nothing's wrong. Mercy and I were just having a little heart-to-heart." Sam said with a nonchalant shrug.

_More like mouth-to-mouth. _Dwight thought as he just nodded his head in understanding as he continued to look at the Sam and Mercedes who were trying not to stand too close to one another.

"You two should head home, it's not safe out this time of night." Dwight said as he cast a knowing look at his son. "Good night Mercedes, don't be a stranger." Dwight said, turning and heading into his house.

"Your dad's right, I should make a banana and split." Mercedes said, turning to Sam and grabbing his hand as they walked to her car.

"I had a blast tonight." She said as she turned to look up at him.

"Ditto Mercy." Sam replied, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him, chest to chest. "What are you doing the rest of the week Dolly?"

"Working at my new gig and pad hunting." Mercedes said as she skid her hands under his jacket. "Give me your number so I can keep you posted Daddy-O."

Sam pulled out a pen and wrote his number on the palm of her hand.

"Good night Sammy." Mercedes whispered as she leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Good morning Mercy." Sam replied as he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her back.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! Leave a review! Please and thanx **

**Passion pit- drive in **  
**Dig- like **  
**Boss- great**  
**Zip lip- secret **  
**Friend of Dorothy- gay **  
**Better half- friend **  
**Cooking- good**  
**Flutter bum- handsome man**  
**Split-leave **  
**Real gone- head over heels **

**~Chapter 3: **

**Cranked- excited **  
**Dead air- nothing**  
**Pooper- a downer **  
**Classy chassis- a girl w/ a hot body **  
**Bull- muscle man **  
**Davie Village- a gay community in Vancouver, Canada **  
**Circled- married **  
**Skinny- having no money**  
**Hep- in the know **  
**Madison Avenue- uppity, snotty**  
**Necking- making out **  
**Mirror- to copy **  
**Cut the gas- shut up **  
**Bingo- making out**


	5. Chapter 5

**So sorry this update took so long. This chapter has very little Samcedes interaction, but the few moments they spend together are... adorable I guess lol. Enjoy! **

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It had been over 2 weeks and Mercedes still couldn't find a suitable apartment. She had enough money to live in place as good as Sam, but her race held her back. Every person she talked to over the phone was eager to meet her, but as soon as they saw her their whole demeanor would change. There would suddenly be another renter who had come and snagged the place or they would refuse to talk to her at all. She was nearing her breaking point, if not for her grandmother, Sam, and her new job she would just pack up and head back to Canada. She confided in her family about her problems with discrimination, not that they didn't know the hardships themselves, but her parents couldn't understand why she didn't just stay with them. She felt things were already tight in the small house; her parents had their own room, but she was sharing a room with her grandmother, while Robbie, who slept on the couch at the time, was about to try to move his soon to be wife Sheila into the house. She simply couldn't stay there and be one more body in the crowded house, not when she had the means to live elsewhere.

She just wanted the same stress free, easy going environment that she had in Vancouver. She never thought she would miss it so much, but she did miss someone more. She hadn't seen Sam since their date, and she could only call him early in the morning or late at night. Once it was her lunch break she planned on taking the elevator down to the 10th floor where Sam worked, but was halted by a petite brunette wearing a horrid maroon plaid poodle skirt.

"Where do you think you're going? Terri needs that fashion review on her desk by the end of the day." Rachel said as she blocked Mercedes escape.

"I finished the female review over an hour ago; I just need Kurt's male review. I'm going to lunch. So if you don't mind stepping aside." Mercedes hinted as she grabbed her purse from under her desk.

Rachel snatched the paper out of the type writer and read over it, ready to point out any discrepancies in the work, but had to keep the disappointment off of her face once she realized it was perfect. Her anger increased as she realized Mercedes fashion sense was better than hers.

"Who would read that? No one wants to dress like an _eggplant?_" Rachel hissed bitterly as she slammed the paper back down on the desk. Mercedes smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her navy blue wiggle dress, before deliberately stepping up to Rachel.

"Every woman in her right mind would, because **no** **one** wants to dress like _you._" Mercedes said between clenched teeth, bumping past her, leaving Rachel seething by her desk.

As soon as Mercedes stepped onto the 10th floor, she could feel the shift energy. All eyes were on her as she strolled through the office; past the secretaries, some who gave her sideways glances, and others who ignored her completely.

Amid the catcalls from the guys and the jealous glares of the few women, she finally made her way to Sam's office. She stopped in front of his secretary's desk, Sugar Motta, the only women in the office who always greeted her with a warm and genuine smile the few times she had time to come up to see Sam.

"Mercedes. Hi! Should I tell Mr. Evans you're here?" Sugar smiled brightly, happy to see Mercedes.

"Hi Sugar, if he's not busy I would love to surprise him." She smiled back at the beaming young woman.

"Oh of course, he just finished a meeting." Sugar said.

Mercedes thanked her, and wordlessly crept into Sam's office. He was so busy with finishing the drawing on his desk that he didn't notice her until he caught a waft of her familiar perfume.

"Mercy, what are you doing here?" Sam asked in surprise as he looked up at her.

"I'm here to surprise you. Why, aren't you cranked to see me?" She asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"Of course I'm happy to see you Dollface. I just wasn't expecting you, but I should've known it was you, hearing all the guys whistling and what not." He said as he put down his work, walked around the desk and swept her into his arms.

"You better be." She said before kissing his plump lips.

"Mm. Are you my lunch for today?" asked, leaning against the edge of his desk and pulling her to lean on him, lightly kissing her neck.

"I was hoping we could go out to lunch." She said, sighing into his kisses.

"But I'd rather have you dollface." Sam whispered, dropping his hands down to her hips, pulling her closer.

"You should behave, you're on the clock." She whispered, stopping his hands just as they reached her ass.

"Fine, party pooper. Where to?" He sighed in defeat, sliding his hands back to her waist.

Just then Sugar knocked on the door, alerting Sam that he was needed for assistance on drawing up some panels.

"Sorry hun bun, looks like your time has expired." Mercedes said, giving him a fleeting kiss before departing to the elevator, and riding back up to the 26th floor.

She spent the rest of her day running errands around the office for her boss Terri, who was secretly grooming her for a promotion, pleasantly surprised at how well the young woman was excelling within the office; and looking through the paper for apartments.

Mercedes released an aggravated sigh as she slammed down the phone, she had started the process of telling people her race before they met in person; she figured it was easier to take the rejection over the phone instead of wasting her time meeting them for nothing.

"Okay I've had enough of watching you get the royal shaft. Blaine and I have an extra bedroom, you can move into our pad." Kurt said, tired of seeing the disappointment and hurt in her eyes every time she was denied a fair chance.

"Kurt I couldn't. That's your and Blaine's personal space, I can't just crash there." Mercedes objected.

"I didn't say crash, I said move in. And it wouldn't be a problem, trust me." Kurt said rather cryptically.

Mercedes thought about it for a while, and by the end of the day she had agreed, she would be able to move in by Thursday. She now had a pad of her own, sort of.

"Fatty Bread you's don't have to go." Robert objected as he, her mother, her grandmother, and brother all watched her pack up the last of her clothes.

"Yes I do daddy. There is hardly enough room as it is, it's going to be too crowded once Sheila moves in. It's for the best." She said, looking at her family. She had already discussed it with her mother and grandmother and they understood completely, but her dad and brother were much harder to sway.

"Okay you's got a point. But I's don't know about this Kurt and Blake fella's." her dad said stubbornly.

"His name is Blaine, daddy. And he and Kurt are very nice, trust worthy young men." Mercedes said, coming to their defense.

"That's just it, Cedes. They're men._White men._ " Robbie said, fueling his father's rant from his seat between his mother and grandmother.

"Oh hush, both of yah! Mercedes is a big girl; she can take care of herself. These boys are just helping my baby out." Dorothy spoke up, silencing both men.

"No Jr. is right! What these white men's doin' lettin' her stay with them?!" Robert demanded from his wife.

"It's a trap that's what it is. They're up to something and they're using Cedes to get it." Robbie added.

"Boy bite yo tongue! She ain't lettin' no one use her for nothin'." Her grandmother spoke up.

"We don't know that! I don't know them crackers from Uncle Sam. But I's spose' to just let my baby girl live with em?! Hell no!" Robert yelled.

"For heaven's sake can you all stop talking about me like I'm not standing right here?!" Mercedes exclaimed loudly, stunning everyone into silence.

"I am leaving this house, and I am moving in with Blaine and Kurt, because they are nice guys who offered me a place to stay. They are _not _using me and I _trust_ them. So mama, memaw, I will come by to visit you guys later this week; and daddy and Robbie, thanks for nothing." Mercedes announced before pulling her suitcase out of the door and slamming it closed; leaving her family looking after her in silence.

"Hey Queen, welcome to your castle." Kurt exclaimed as he welcomed Mercedes into the apartment. Mercedes was starting to second guess that title. To her an apartment was a Dingbat, much like what she lived in in Canada. But as Kurt showed her around, she realized the place was a Maisonette. On the first floor was a full kitchen was an island, a large dining area and living room, and a full bathroom. Upstairs there was another full bathroom in the hall, a balcony, and 2 master bedrooms with walk-in closets and full baths. Mercedes was in awe, she thought that Sam's loft was nice, but this was incredible; the idea of not having to share a room, or having multiple bathrooms was enough to make her want to weep with joy.

"So do you like it?" Kurt asked expectantly, taking in her awed expression.

"Kurt… I don't even… How did you get this place?" she asked, finally out of her stunned stupor.

"My dad is a Congressman." Kurt simply shrugged.

Mercedes shrugged back in response and Kurt led her to her bedroom, which was already decorated with purple paint and a light purple comforter on the queen size bed.

"Kurt…" Mercedes started to say but was interrupted by Blaine suddenly coming in and standing by Kurt's side.

"Actually it was me. I thought it would be a boss way for us to start to dig each other." Blaine said with a kind smile.

"Thank you so much. Both of you thank you." Mercedes said as she walked up to them and engulfed them both in a hug.

"We'll give you some time to cool it." Blaine said, grabbing Kurt's hand, giving him a knowing look and leading him towards their bedroom adjacent to hers.

She smiled after the adorable couple as she sat on her new bed, and soaked in her surroundings. She felt at ease in the house, soaking in the peaceful silence for a while before she carefully unpacked her clothes. She took great pride in her wardrobe, sorting them in her closet based on the type of dress and then by color; and then repeated the action with her shoes, and accessories. It took a little over 2 hours, but when she was finally satisfied that all of her clothes were order she made her way downstairs to the living room where the phone was, careful not to make too much noise, assuming that since it was about 11pm Kurt and Blaine had fallen asleep and dialed a familiar number.

After about 5 rings the voice she had been waiting hours to hear answered. "Hello."

"Hey Sammy." Mercedes whispered.

"Mercy. Hey what's the word?" Sam asked, stretching out on his couch with his latest sketch in his lap, happy to hear her voice.

"I got an apartment. Well, a Maisonette." She giggled, twisting the phone cord around her finger as she sat on one of the couches.

"Mercy, baby, that's boss! When did this happen?" Sam asked excitedly.

"Kurt offered me the spare room at his pad. Sam this place is hip." Mercedes admitted with a sigh.

"That's awesome dollface; I can't wait to see it." Sam said, as he started to randomly scratch his toned stomach.

"You would like it; it's so big and peaceful. You could sketch out on the balcony." Mercedes was saying was saying before Sam cut in.

"Or in your bedroom." Sam added with a smile.

"Well I hadn't planned on you doing much work, if we were in my bedroom." She flirted back with a seductive whisper.

"I miss seeing you Mercedes." Sam said seriously after a long pause.

"I miss you too Sammy. But we just saw each other the other day." She said a little confused at his admission.

"I know, but we haven't _seen each other _in a couple of days." Sam reiterated.

Mercedes suddenly knew what he was getting at, it had been a while since they were together, but it was because of the demand of their jobs and her hunting for a living space. But she knew just then right remedy.

"Tomorrow is Friday, we can go to a drive-in, or shoot the breeze, or whatever." She said with a laugh as she quoted him.

Sam laughed softly, happy that she fondly remembered his terrible attempt to ask her out. "That sounds good dollface. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams Sammy." Mercedes whispered. _I love you. _She thought.

"Sweet dreams Mercy." Sam whispered back. _I love you too. _Sam thought.

They stayed on the phone a while longer, just listening to sound of the others breathing, before they both drifted off to sleep.

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**Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave a review. **

**Eggplant- a racial slur for black people **  
**Royal Shaft- unfair treatment **  
**Dingbats- small urban apartment (google for picture) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay so I think this is the longest chapter of any of my stories, and it does include some harsh racial slurs (but it's a period piece fan fic so you had to have seen this coming) so if that desturbs or upsets you, its probably best you don't read this chapter. But if you want to know how our favorite duo overcome racial adversity, keep reading lol. Enjoy! **

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Friday couldn't come soon enough for either Sam or Mercedes. Sam couldn't help himself from running upstairs to visit Mercedes on his lunch break. He stepped off of the elevator and onto the 26th floor for the first time and was surprised at how unintentionally girly it was. He knew this was the floor where they focused on the fashion portion of the paper, but the lack of men was still surprising. When he looked around for Mercedes and didn't see her he was in the process of walking towards Kurt, who he saw a couple of desks over talking with a short blonde, before his line of vision was interrupted by a petite brunette wearing an almost urine colored headband.

"Hi Sam, what brings you up here?" Rachel smiled brightly at him, clutching a folder close to her chest.

"Hey Rachel… I was just-"

"He came to get my advice on waistcoats. Come on, I'll show you in the break room. Rachel Ms. Emma needs that accessories review." Kurt interrupted, pulling Sam away from Rachel and towards the back.

Sam waited until they were far away from Rachel and in the break room to ask Kurt what that was about.

"Rachel has it out for Mercedes." Kurt explained as he reached into a cabinet and pulled out two mugs, filling them with coffee and handing one to Sam.

"I had no idea, she never said anything." Sam said, accepting the mug from Kurt with a nod, and leaning against the counter.

"I'm not surprised. She didn't even tell me, I just happened to notice how frosted she was after talking to Rachel one day." Kurt said, mixing milk and sugar into his coffee.

"What did she say to her? Do you know?" Sam asked Kurt seriously, but before he could respond Mercedes entered the break room.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Mercedes asked, surprised to see Sam there with Kurt.

"I'm here to surprise you. Aren't you happy to see me?" Sam said, imitating her voice. Mercedes laughed at the déjà vu.

"Of course I am Sammy." She said with a smile, as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a quick but sweet kiss. Sam smiled adoringly down at her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

Kurt cleared his throat, alerting them to their PDA and the fact that he was still in the room. They both pulled away from each other with a blush.

"So Kurt, I hear you got a pretty killer pad." Sam said, still blushing, trying to rid Mercedes and himself of their recent embarrassment.

"Yeah, I'm sure Queen here will give you a grand tour." Kurt said with a knowing smile as he hip bumped Mercedes lightly, causing her to giggle. Sam smiled at the exchange between the two. Kurt excused himself under the guise of going to check on some work, leaving them alone in the room.

"So for our date tonight…" Mercedes hinted once they were alone.

"I was thinking about a nice afternoon picnic in the park." Sam said, grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers.

"Are you trying to razz my berries with a romantic date in the park?" Mercedes asked with a smile, placing her free hand on her hip.

"Depends, is it working?" Sam asked with a lopsided grin, bringing her closer to him.

"Yes. Yes it is." She smiled, as Sam removed her hand from her hip and placed it on his shoulder.

Mercedes stood there looking up into Sam's amazingly green eyes, seeing all at once that young boy that stole her heart as a teenager and the man she could possibly spend her life with. She wanted so much more with him. Sam couldn't stop staring into her eyes; those big, beautiful brown eyes that had had him under their spell since he was a 14 year old boy. The beautiful eyes he wanted to wake up to every day, the eyes he wanted his children to have, the eyes he wanted looking into his before he drew his last breath. He wanted so much more with her.

"You guys should probably cool it. Rachel's headed this way." Kurt spoke from behind, pulling them out of their inner revere.

"I don't give a damn about Rachel." Mercedes snapped, stepping away from Sam to look at Kurt like he had grown two heads.

"No, Kurt is right, I should beat it. But I'll pick you up after work." Sam said, rubbing his hands up and down her arms, reassuring her as she nodded her head in agreement.

"Later Kurt." Sam said, nodding his head in thanks, just as Rachel was coming in.

"Oh there you are Sam! Listen, I was talking to a friend of mine-"

"Oh you have friends?" Kurt interrupted sarcastically, causing Mercedes to giggle loudly.

"And I thought that she would be perfect for you." Rachel said, ignoring Kurt and Mercedes.

"Thanks Rachel but I'm already jacketed with a hip dolly I'm really crazy about." Sam said, turning to look at Mercedes, before brushing past Rachel leaving Mercedes blushing and trying to hide a smile, that didn't go unnoticed.

"Well that's too bad about Sam; he really deserves a classy, well-off, type of girl, but for some reason he's attracted to trash." Rachel said as she cast a snide eye towards Mercedes; who stopped smiling and stared Rachel down harshly.

"Yeah, well you could say the same about my brother. Let's go Mercedes." Kurt shot at Rachel before gently ushering Mercedes out of the room, leaving Rachel glaring at the two of them.

"One of these days Kurt, that bitch is gonna get it." Mercedes whispered harshly as she and Kurt made their way through the office to the elevator.

"And I can't wait until she does." Kurt said as he pushed the button for the elevator to take them to the third floor, and stepped into it once it opened for them.

"I hope she doesn't think she can come between Sam and me, because she will be sorely disappointed." Mercedes sneered, crossing her arms over her chest in tense determination.

"Hey now, don't let that Bitch of a Berry get to you; at the very least don't let her give you frown lines." Kurt said, pinching her cheeks causing her to finally smile and relax.

"You know, it's a shame you and her are going to be related; otherwise I would want you as a brother." Mercedes sighed, leaning against the wall.

There was a brief pause I between them as Kurt's face suddenly became very serious, as if he were in deep thought; but then a devious smile played across his face.

"Yeah… A shame indeed…" Kurt murmured.

"Okay Daddy-O, what's buzzin' in that head of yours?" Mercedes asked, nudging Kurt's arm with her own.

"William Schuester." Kurt said, still deep in thought.

"Ms. Terri's husband? What does he have to do with-" Mercedes asked in confusion, until it finally dawned on her. She gasped in shock, loudly slapping her hands over her mouth as the elevator opened to the third floor.

"I can't prove it yet; but before you started working here there was a big launch party for our department and Will was there, I saw them go into the coat closet together for 30 minutes." Kurt whispered, as they walked up to the line for the food stand.

"I can't believe it! Are you going to tell Terri? She could lose her job, and oh my god Finn! What about him?" she asked still in shock.

"I definitely thought about it, but I can't tell anyone anything until I have proof." Kurt said as he ordered them two bear claws, handed one to Mercedes and headed back to the elevator.

"Wow. I just can't believe it, and that Grundy has the nerve to step to me?" Mercedes asked incredulously before taking a generous bite of her pastry.

"I know it's drowning. But you can't tell a soul, not even your main squeeze." Kurt said as he took a nibble of his pastry and dabbed at the corners of his mouth.

"Fine, I'll stay zip lipped. But if that wet rag keeps egging me on I will take her to the carpet." Mercedes assured, as she and Kurt both giggled, and prepared for the rest of their day of work.

The end of the day couldn't come fast enough for Sam as he quickly made his way from the building, taking the stairs, rushing out to his Packard and racing home to change. When screeched to a halt in front of his apartment, he was surprised to see Puck's car parked in his driveway.

He opened his door to find Puck sitting on his couch listening to the baseball game on the radio while drinking a beer.

"Hey man, you need a television. This game is getting good." Puck said as way of greeting as Sam disposed of his suit jacket on the nearby coatrack.

"You have a television at your pad, why don't you go melt your brain over there." Sam said as he made his way to his bathroom, quickly showered and began pulling out clothes for his date.

"What's buzzin' cuzzin'?" Puck asked, noticing Sam changing clothes and heading to his kitchen where he grabbed some fresh fruit out of his fridge and placed it into a basket he pulled from a pantry.

"I'm going out with Mercy, taking her for a picnic in the park, so cut out." Sam said as he started making sandwiches.

"Dude that's such a boss idea! We should bring Quinn!" Puck exclaimed suddenly excited.

"Wait. We?" Sam paused from his sandwich making to look at Puck in confusion.

"Yeah man. I'm not going to let you hog all the romantic ideas." Puck said as if it were obvious.

"But this _is _my romantic idea." Sam huffed as he leaned against the counter.

"C'mon man! Quinn has been hinting at me to do something romantic, but you know me, I'm mostly good for boiling the cabbage." Puck said with a shit eating grin.

Sam just stared at him blankly, hoping this wasn't leading to what he thought is was.

"I'll go kidnap Quinn, then meet you and shortcake at the park." Puck said downing the rest of his beer, and turning off the radio.

"Puck you are not crashing my date." Sam sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Man we're not crashing, we're doubling. I'll see you there." Puck said as he gathered his jacket off of the coatrack.

"Puck you're not coming! Puck!" Sam yelled, but by then Puck was already out of the door.

Sam sighed in annoyance, knowing he shouldn't have told his friend what his plans were for the evening. He finished making, now four, sandwiches before putting them in the basket and heading out to go pick up Mercedes. He pulled up to the address she had given him, hoped out of the car, and tried not to eagerly knock on her door.

A small brunette wearing a bright red bow tie answered the door with an infectious smile.

"Hi, you must be Sam. I'm Blaine, come on in." Blaine said, stepping aside to let Sam enter.

"That's me. It's nice to meet you man, Mercy talks about you and Kurt all the time." Sam said as he entered the foyer and followed Blaine to the living room and sat on the couch.

"Not nearly as much as she talks about you. She'll be down in a tick Sam." Kurt said as he descended the stairs and sat next to Blaine and interlocked their arms.

"Hun he calls her 'Mercy', that's so cute." Blaine gushed as he rubbed Kurt knee.

"What's so cute?" Mercedes asked from the doorway of the living room, having walked up unnoticed.

Sam swallowed harshly, trying to remember how to breathe as he took in her form fitting white and blue striped shirt tucked into her high waist red shorts and black high heeled Mary Jane shoes. His mind immediately went to all the things he wanted to do to her, most of which consisted of her with her legs either in the air, or wrapped around his waist or shoulders. With those shoes still on. He hadn't realized he had zoned out until a hand was waving in front of his face. He shook his head free of the thoughts only to find Blaine giving him a knowing smile, while Mercedes and Kurt exchanged giggling and blushing glances. Sam immediately rose to his feet and walked slowly towards Mercedes, his eyes raking her up and down.

"Do you like my outfit Sammy?" Mercedes whispered, biting her lip at the look in his eys.

"Baby you are making me kookie. Let's split before I spread you out in front of your friends." Sam whispered hotly in her ear, making her shiver.

"Later guys!" Mercedes said shakily over her shoulder to Kurt and Blaine who watched the couple from their seats on the couch with deliberate grins.

Once they were in the car it took everything Sam had not to reach over and touch the smooth skin that her shorts revealed. He fought to keep his eyes on the road, and not on how the striped shirt stretched over her generous bust, but when they came to a red light he allowed himself the pleasure of staring at her beautiful face; her skin that seemed to glow in the afternoon light.

Before they knew it he was parking outside of the park, he quickly ran to her side of the car, opening her door and helping her out, before reaching into the back to retrieve the basket and blanket. They silently walked across the bright green grass of the park, which was surprisingly sparse considering how nice of a day it was, looking for a good place to set up. They finally decided on a nice area underneath a shady tree; not far from a group of white teens, 3 guys in pastel polo shirts and 3 girls in poodle skirts.

After smoothing out the blanket and setting down the basket, Mercedes thought she heard someone call her name, she looked up to see Quinn and Puck approaching them, as she turned to look questioningly at Sam.

"Shit. I'm sorry Mercy. Puck kind of hitched his wagon to my idea as a way to impress Quinn." Sam tried to explain but was cut off by Mercedes.

"It's okay Sammy. Besides, Puck needs all the help he can get, Lord knows he's no romantic." She laughed as the couple approached them and sat down on their blanket, Puck and Quinn greeting Mercedes with hugs, while Sam and Puck bumped fists as way of greeting.

"Let me guess: Puck is hitchhiking your date, isn't he?" Quinn whispered in Mercedes ear, as she sat next to her, tucking the skirt of her cream swing dress under her.

Mercedes gave her a look that said _'You think he didn't when he did?' _before they burst into spontaneous giggles, getting the attention of the guys who were involved in their own conversation.

"What's so funny?" Puck asked, reaching inside the basket and handing Quinn a sandwich as Sam did the same for Mercedes.

The girls exchanged knowing smiles before exclaiming "Noooothing." And giggling all over again.

Quinn and Mercedes continued to secretly tease the boys and gush over one another's clothes, while Puck was trying to convince Sam to buy a television so they could watch sports together. Sam opened the basket and they all readily dug into their sandwiches, and had a team game of how many grapes the girls could throw into their boyfriend's mouth. Puck complained that he was doomed to lose because of the size of Sam's mouth, earning him laughter from the girls and a hard playful punch from Sam.

Just then Mercedes felt something light hit the top of her head; she reached up and produced a twig. She quickly tossed it, assuming it had fallen from the tree above them, jumping back into the conversation that was now focused on funny tales from their childhood together. Sam pulled Mercedes closer to him, letting her lean against him as they all talked animatedly. Puck was in the middle of talking about how he and Finn would fight over the last of Dorothy Jones famous waffles that she would make every morning when working for the Evans, when another twig fell on Mercedes, this time one hit Quinn too. The two girls exchanged questioning looks, each looking up at the tree, wondering if it was a squirrel or something that was making the tree parts fall on them. Sam was about to ask what was wrong, seeing the confused looks on both of the young women's faces when he heard it. It was said as if the person were coughing or clearing their throat, but when he noted the hushed laughter, and the way Mercedes tensed up, he knew he had heard right. And he wasn't the only one; their whole blanket had fallen silent.

"What did you just say?" Sam demanded, turning to look at the 6 preppy teenagers adjacent to them. He didn't want to _hear_ it again; he just wanted to know if they would have the balls to say it to his face.

The group fell silent, as they looked between each other, none of them making eye contact with Sam.

"Yeah that's what I thought." He said coldly, turning back to face Mercedes, who had a warning look in her eyes, but then they heard it again; only louder this time, again followed a fit of obnoxious laughter. Quinn turned and cast an evil glare at the group as Puck cracked his knuckles. None of them were quick enough to stop Sam from jumping up and stalking over to the crew, all three of the guys jumped up; a blonde in a pastel green polo shirt standing center, '_he must be the leader' _Sam thought.

"What. Did. You. Say?" Sam demanded harshly, standing toe to toe with the other blonde, who just grinned smugly in his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about, _buddy._" The blonde said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sam clenched his jaw tightly, flexing and un-flexing his fists at his side.

"Drop dead twice asshole." Puck exclaimed, to the bunch from behind Sam, who was being held back by Quinn.

"Sam, baby, let it go. He's not worth our time." Mercedes said, as she sneered at the young boy, trying to pull Sam back by his arm. Sam was letting her pull him away, finally turning away from the young boy and his group.

"Better listen to your torso-tosser. _Nigger lover_." The boy said for the third time, that was Sam's breaking point.

Before he could even think about it he turned and swung at the guy, relishing in the sickening crack sound as his fist connected to the guy's nose, causing the three girls to squeal in horror. In a second the boy was groaning on the ground, trying to protect his bloody face as Sam was on him repeatedly. It took Puck, Quinn, and Mercedes to pull Sam of the boy, even then he continued to kick him repeatedly; cursing loudly, and demanding that he '_stand up and take it like a man_ _and not a bitch_' and promising that if he even looked at Mercedes again he would '_rip his eyes out pour gasoline in the sockets_'.

They continued holding Sam's arms back as the two friends helped the guy off the ground.

"You coon fucking son of a bitch!" the boy yelled, spitting up blood.

"Tell me what it feels like to shit out you own teeth you racist sack of shit!" Sam glared, charging for the boy once again.

"Come on we got to go before the pigs get here!" Puck warned Sam, dragging him towards the opposite end of the park, knowing that the cops were probably on their way and would be coming in through the main entrance.

They all walked briskly in tense silence to the back of the park to the other entrance, Quinn and Mercedes clinging to each other as Sam continued to seethe, and Puck was watching his friend warily; waiting to pounce on him in case he felt the urge to turn back and finish the boy off.

After 30 minutes of uncomfortable silence they finally made it to the front of the park where they parked their cars.

"Shortcake do you need a ride home?" Puck asked, coming to stand next to Quinn and Mercedes whose arms were still interlocked.

"No, I'm taking Sam home with me." She said looking over at Sam who was leaning against his car with his head down, running his blood stained hands through his hair.

"Are you sure Cedes?" Quinn asked, looking at Sam with worry.

"Yeah, I have to go get him cleaned up. You guys go ahead. We'll call you tomorrow." She promised, hugging them both and watching them drive away.

"Give me your keys." She said to Sam, standing in front of him with her hand out expectantly. He wordlessly dug into his pockets, handed her his car keys and they both got in and drove silently to her apartment.

The whole drive Mercedes just kept replaying the look in Sam's eyes as he stared past her to the insulting guy as they spewed threats and curses back and forth. She had never seen that much intensity and fire in his eyes before; it was horrifying and confusingly arousing all at once. She could also feel contempt wash over her as she thought about the hateful things the boy said about her; she knew you could never fight fire with fire, but since she couldn't she was rather glad Sam had.

She glanced at him many times before pulling up to her apartment and leading him inside to the empty space. She moved towards the kitchen, leaving Sam by the front door where he stood deep in thought. She came back and led him by his arm to the kitchen where she had the first aid kit set up by the kitchen sink.

"Let me see your hands Sam." Mercedes said looking up at Sam, as he placed his bloody hands into her tiny ebony ones. For the first time since the fight Sam looked at Mercedes face as carefully cleaned his hands and searched for any cuts or bruises.

"I'm sorry Mercy if I scared you." Sam whispered. Mercedes sighed loudly leaning against the counter.

"Don't be sorry Sam… What they said about you, about us…" she began slowly.

"I know, they were just being assholes." Sam interrupted.

"Then why did you let them get to you?!" she asked, trying not get upset.

"Because they shouldn't be able to talk to you that way!" Sam exclaimed, running his hands anxiously through his hair. Mercedes took many calming breathes before responding.

"I know it's hard to ignore idiots like that, _trust me_ I know. But you can't fight them all Sam, I won't let you! You can't beat the hate out of them anymore than they could beat the black out of me. All we can do is live our lives our way and everyone else can get bent!" She said, fighting back tears as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I will never stop fighting for you Mercy! For your honor, for your respect, for your love, for your safety, any of that!" Sam exclaimed, walking up to Mercedes. "Never." He murmured, placing his hands softly on either side of her face, "I just want to keep you safe Mercedes." He said resting his forehead to hers.

"I know Sam; I want to keep you safe too. Please just promise me you won't ever do that again. I don't want to see you in jail…or worse." She breathed, pulling away to look into his face.

He stared into her eyes deeply before responding. "I promise you Mercedes Jones that I will not get into any more fights with racist pieces of shit." Said seriously, never breaking eye contact even as he slowly flashed his signature lopsided grin, garnering a small smile from her.

"You are kookie Sam Evans." She smiled, resting her head to his chest.

"Yeah but you kind of love it." He said, pulling her closer to him.

They stayed like that for a while, just clinging to each other in the kitchen before Sam pulled away, put the first aid kit back, and let Mercedes lead him to her bedroom where they lay on her bed, holding one another until they fell asleep.

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**Frosted- angry **  
**Jacketed- going steady **  
**Buzzing'- going on **  
**Drowning- baffling **  
**Wet rag- loser**  
**What's buzzin cuzzin?- what's going on? **  
**Cut out- leave **  
**Boil the cabbage- sex **  
**Kookie- crazy in a good way **  
**Torso tosser- whore**

**So what did you guys think? Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OMG IM BACK! LOL I'm soooooooo sorry it's taken forever to update, but Senior is crazy with a new job, school work, drama club, AND college apps. But getting to update, even a short chapter, was totally worth it for you guys. I can't began to describe how much I've missed writing and receiving reviews from you guys. I decided to update this story first b/c it's such a short chapter. I'm still working on Summer Lovin (it's heading towards scandalous :-). But I hope you guys enjoy, and as always please feel free to review. **

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Mercedes awoke to find herself still cuddled in the spooning position with Sam; she glanced at the clock seeing that they had only been sleeping for a little over two hours. She smiled to herself and sighed happily at the feeling of having his strong arms wrapped securely around her waist. She turned around to face him and was surprised to see two bright green eyes already looking back at her.

"I didn't wake you did I?" she asked.

"No. I was just thinking." Sam said.

"About that guy at the park?" Mercedes asked sadly.

"About you actually." Sam said, stroking her cheek softly.

"Thinking about me? What were you thinking about me?" she giggled softly.

"Well if you must know, I was thinking about how boss you look in this outfit." Sam said, looking into her eyes.

"Really? What do you like about my outfit?" she asked grabbing his hand that was resting on her cheek and intertwining their fingers.

"I don't think you want me to answer that dollface." He replied, his eyes flashing dangerously.

Mercedes gulped loudly at the intense look in his eyes, "Tell me." She whispered before slowly moving closer to him to lie on top of him.

Sam sighed at the feel of having her against him.

"Well for starters, you are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on." He said, tucking her hair behind her ear, and causing her to blush. "The way you fill out that top… is razzing my berries like you wouldn't believe." He said lightly running his hands across her back and her sides, as she buried her head in his chest to stifle her laugh. "And Christ, those shoes! They make your legs look so long and smooth." He exclaimed, running his fingers up and down the back of her legs, making her shiver. "But what I really like is how your ass looks in these shorts." He whispered, slowly trailing his hands up her legs to cup her ass.

Mercedes moaned as he kneaded her bottom softly, she quickly pulled him into a heated kiss; grinding herself against his erection as he continued to grab and smack her butt lightly. She sat up slightly, allowing Sam to remove her shirt, kissing his way across her breast, lightly licking her nipple through the lace of the black bra. Mercedes moaned loudly as she gripped his hair tightly, causing Sam to groan in pleasure as she continued to grind roughly into his crotch. Sam continued to lick and suck her nipples through her bra, while gripping her ass tightly, pulling her into him. They both moaned loudly, before attacking each other's lips, clawing desperately at one another. She was moving her hand under his t-shirt to feel his firm abs when suddenly her bedroom door flew open.

"I told you I last saw her with it in he- OH MY GOD!" Kurt exclaimed as he rushed into her room with Blaine close behind. Mercedes quickly separated from Sam covering herself with a pillow, as Kurt and Blaine both put their hands over their eyes.

"I'm sorry Queen; we were looking for the phonebook." Kurt apologized, as Mercedes handed Sam a pillow to put over his lap.

"I told Kurt to knock-. "

"But I thought you guys were still on your park date." Kurt said, interrupting Blaine.

"That didn't work out too well…" Sam murmured.

"Aww what happened?" Kurt asked, dropping his hand from his eyes and sitting on the edge of the bed concerned.

"Kurt, can we talk about this later." Mercedes sighed, sweeping her hand between her and Sam.

"Oh right! Of course, later. But Mr. Sam Evans, our Queen here is a good girl, remember that." Kurt exclaimed as Blaine sighed and carted him from the room, tossing Mercedes a knowing look, before exiting her room.

"Wow. Next time we're going to my pad." Sam sighed as he collapsed back onto her bed.

"I'm sorry Sammy. I should've known Kurt and Blaine would be here." Mercedes said, lying down next to him.

"I'm not so much bothered by the warning as I am that we were interrupted when I was just getting to the promise land." Sam smiled, looking down to Mercedes bust. She lightly smacked him on the arm, moving to put her shirt back on before Sam grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"You're not gonna help me with this?" Sam asked, gesturing to his crotch.

Mercedes paused for a second, debating whether to help him or laugh at him, before stating "Think of the National Anthem."

"Ugh! Okay but you gotta sing it for me." Sam groaned in frustration.

"Why me?" Mercedes giggled at his frustrated look.

"Because you're the cause of this dollface. If you weren't so far out, I wouldn't be like this. Pleeeease?" He begged.

"Okay, okay, okay. Don't have a cow." Mercedes calmed him, before singing the National Anthem, adding her own flair to it, which actually had Sam more aroused than before.

"Did it help?" she asked, looking at Sam expectantly.

"Not exactly…" he murmured.

Mercedes looked to see him clutching the pillow tighter to his pelvis, and his face even more red than before. She leaned over and started to playfully try to comfort him, unknowingly pushing her still exposed cleavage into his line of sight.

"C'mon Mercy you're killing me!" Sam groaned in frustration, slamming his head back against the headboard.

"Aww my poor baby!" she sighed, unable to control her giggles.

"Haha. I'm glad you think this is such a big tickle, cause this is agony for me." Sam pouted. Mercedes finally calmed down her amusement long enough to see how upset he really was. She took pity on him.

"Okay I'm sorry Sammy. Tell Mercy what she can do to make it better." She whispered in his ear, making him involuntarily shiver.

Sam cut his smoldering eyes towards her, "Don't be a tease Mercedes." Sam warned, unsure of how much control he had left.

"So you don't want me to help?" she asked seductively, as she removed the pillow from his lap, and slowly traced her hand down his chest, to the top of his jeans, making him moan deeply. "Show me what you want me to do Sammy." She whispered as she undid the top of his pants, and pulled the zipper down deadly slow.

Sam grasped her hand and put it over his erection outside of his jeans, rubbing it up and down slowly. Mercedes caught on, and continued to rub him, stopping only to reach into his boxers and withdraw his stiff erection. Sam continued to look into Mercedes' soulful brown eyes and groaned deeply as she slowly brought her hand to her mouth, licked her palm twice, and placed it back onto his member; stroking him firmly and steadily. Sam moaned as his head fell back against the headboard, he clenched his bottom lip between his teeth as he closed his eyes tightly.

Mercedes loved the control she had over Sam in that moment; watching his chest rise and fall quickly, hearing his voice hitch amid his moans of her name as she kissed and sucked up and down his neck. They had explored one another's bodies before; bringing the other pleasure with their hands, but always under their clothes.

"Faster." Sam groaned, placing his hand over her own, tightening her grip as she stroked him faster. Sam pulled her into a passionate kiss as he exploded into her hand.

"Feel better?" Mercedes asked with a smile, as she watched Sam slowly regain his breath.

"Much." Sam sighed happily. He quickly raced to the bathroom, returning with a warm rag and proceeded to clean his seed from Mercedes' hand.

"Thank you Mercy, I really needed that." Sam said, as he watched her put her shirt on as he adjusted his own clothes.

"It's no problem Sammy, it was just handy." She smiled, sitting on the side of her bed.

"No not just for that," Sam chuckled "but for intimacy, this moment of just us. I wasn't fooling when I said I missed you. I love being with you, not just like that, although I do _love_ that. But everything, when we go on dates, or chat on the phone, or just shoot the breeze; I want it to be like that all the time." He said, sitting closely to her.

"Sammy, are you asking me what I think you're asking me?" Mercedes asked with a sure grin.

"Mercedes Jones, will you go steady with me?" Sam asked, holding her hand in his, sliding a silver band onto her right finger. "This is a promise ring, and I promise that one day I'm gonna make you my wife. But until then, this ring will let the whole world know you're mine and I'm yours."

"Oh Sammy, you kook! What took you so long?" She exaggerated, trying not to let any tears spill, pushing him lightly in the arm.

"Hey! I just make you my girl and you're abusing me?" Sam laughed.

Mercedes laughed along with him before kissing him lightly.

"I gotta go tell Kurt." She exclaimed, jumping up from the bed and throwing her door open, only to have Blaine and Kurt tumble into her room.

"What the-?"

"We weren't eavesdropping." Blaine started.

"I was." Kurt admitted, interrupting his boyfriend.

"H-how much did you hear?" Sam asked, standing up from the bed.

"Not much-"

"Everything." Kurt and Blaine said at the same time, causing both Mercedes and Sam to blush wildly.

"Well that's my queue to split." Sam said, rubbing the back of his neck embarrassingly.

"Oh yeah! Noah and Quinn called; they wanted to know if you were okay." Blaine said to Mercedes and Sam.

"Yeah Puck is probably staked out in my house waiting for me. I should go." Sam turned to Mercedes and pulled her into a sweet and romantic kiss. "I'll ring you later?"

"Okay." She replied dreamily, taking his hand and walking him to the door where they shared another demure kiss, before he left.

She turned around to find Blaine and Kurt standing behind her, looking at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked innocently. Moving to the kitchen, retrieving a small bowl of fruit and moving to the living room.

"Don't 'what' us. I'm still waiting to hear what happened at the park today." Kurt said, standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Okay fine." She sighed, sitting down on the couch, waiting for Kurt and Blaine to get comfortable next to her, before going into the whole long story.

"I am so sorry Queen. I wish I could have been there to help defend you." Kurt gasped on the verge of tears.

"Well I wish I had been there to help Sam kick his ass." Blaine said, causing Kurt and Mercedes to gasp in shock.

"Blaine!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"No Cedes, that grundy deserved every bruise and broken bone, you and Quinn should have jumped on those little hussies who were giggling like hyenas." Blaine said, sitting back and folding his arms.

"Why is every man in my life a fighter?" Mercedes asked more to herself.

"Because we love you, and we aren't going to let anyone walk all over you." Kurt said determinedly.

"Oh, I love you guys too!" Mercedes exclaimed happily, opening her arms and being engulfed in a big hug by the both of them.

Mercedes finally felt that for the first time in a while, things were going great. She wasn't going to let racist pricks ruin the fact that she had a sexy and funny man that loved her, her family, friends, great job, and apartment. Everything seemed perfect. But she should have known that perfect was just a fleeting feeling, and that this was just the calm before the storm.

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**What did you think? What do think the upcoming issue is gonna be? More racists? Family? Rachel? ****_Pregnancy? _****O.O **

**I didn't put any translations for this chapter b/c most are pretty self explanatory. I will probably be updating this story more than Summer Lovin, since SL is much more complex and dramatic. **

**Please review, and it's good to be back :-D**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know I take FOREVER to update, but this chapter was very to write. Without giving too much away, my father served in the military and was deployed to Iraq for over 2 years when I was 13. So for me this chapter was very emotional and I struggled between making very serious, sad, bitter sweet, or a mixture of them all. I also know that Summer Lovin' is a fan favorite and I do plan on updating that story soon, but Human Nature holds a very special place in my heart, a much realistic and personal one that Summer Lovin can't quite touch LOL.**

**So with my little rant out of the way, I really do hope you guys enjoy the update, and always please review. **

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Mercedes was in deep thought as she pulled up to her parents' home, it would be nearly 4 months she had been back in Lima, and she couldn't believe how much better her life was going. Spending everyday with Sam was amazing; she had a job she enjoyed, and great friends. Her father and brother had even accepted her new living arrangement, and her grandmother's illness wasn't even as bad as it used to be.

She was more than happy as she stepped into her parent's home, only to find her grandmother sitting on the couch with her mother looking rather perplexed.

"Mama, Memaw, what's wrong?" Mercedes asked, she was just over the day before and they were happy and lively, now they seemed the complete opposite.

"It's Robbie. He done been drafted." Her grandmother said sadly.

"Where is he?" Mercedes asked worriedly.

"He done gone out with his buddies to the registry." Dorothy sighed.

Mercedes collapsed down on the chair beside her mother and grandmother, fighting back tears. Yes she and her brother bickered, like brothers and sisters do, but she couldn't begin to imagine her big brother overseas fighting.

Mercedes got up to use the bathroom, trying to make sure her mother and grandmother didn't see her tears.

When she returned she more than surprised to see Sam sitting between Dorothy and Barbara, talking with them like they were old friends, which, they sort of were.

"Sam Evans. When did you get here?" Mercedes asked, trying to seem inconspicuous.

"It's okay Dollface. They already know." Sam said with a rather solemn smile.

"Mmm hmm. And we only know cause Sam done told us weeks ago. What was you waitin on?" Barbara asked her granddaughter sternly.

"Well- I was- you see it's like- well had happened was-"

"Oh save it. You's worse at lying than you daddy is." Dorothy said, causing Mercedes to blush sheepishly, rising from the couch, and helping Barbara up as well.

"Where are you guys going?" Mercedes asked.

"Ol' Sam here has something to tell you. We's gone be in the back praying for ya'll." Barbara said, shuffling out of the room.

"Praying for what?" Mercedes asked, turning towards Sam.

"You might want to sit down." He said, rubbing the back of his neck, something she knew he only did when he was nervous.

"Sam, you're scaring me. Please just tell me what's going on." Mercedes demanded.

Sam reached into his pocket, and slowly withdrew a white card, and Mercedes world completely slowed down.

"No. No. No, no, no, no!" Mercedes repeated, stepping back from him in disbelief.

"You know I don't want to leave you. But I have no choice. I've been drafted, I have to go." Sam said, reaching out for Mercedes' hand, trying to get her to understand.

"God please tell me I'm dreaming." Mercedes murmured to herself as she felt Sam wrap his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry Mercy." Sam said into her hair, as he felt her tears wet his shirt.

"We have time. We can- we can go to Canada! I was too late to save Robbie but I can save you! We'll go to Canada until it's over." Mercedes exclaimed desperately, already pulling Sam with her towards the door.

"Mercedes, we can't go to Canada. I already registered; I deploy in 3 days." Sam whispered.

"What?! But- but I just got you back and now I'm losing you!" Mercedes whimpered in defeated shock.

"You are not losing me! I am going to come back to you if it's the last thing I do! Just have faith in me Mercy, in us." Sam said, grabbing either side of her face, looking into her eyes deeply while trying to keep the tears from spilling from his own.

"Why is this happening to us? Why are we being punished?" Mercedes asked desperately, holding on tightly to Sam's waist.

"We're not being punished, we're being tested. But we're going to pull through, because we're meant for each other." Sam said, pressing his forehead to hers.

Mercedes sure felt like she was being punished, first her grandmother's illness, then all the racist bullshit, and now her big brother and one true love were being sent to war. She felt as if she had done something, anything, to offend some higher power and she was paying for it. They stood there holding each other until Mercedes mother emerged, alerting them that it was around the time when her father normally came home, a warning for Sam to get going.

They both rode in their own cars back to Sam's apartment, and Mercedes was saddened to see that his place was all packed up, except for his bed and some food in the kitchen. He then informed her that he was going to sell his apartment, because he didn't know how long he would be gone. Mercedes tried to look away so he wouldn't see the way her shoulders shook from silent sobs, but Sam saw it; and it broke his heart.

"C'mon Mercy we have 3 days together, we'll do whatever you want to do." Sam said as they cuddled together in the spooning position on his bed.

Mercedes sighed and turned to face the man she had loved since she was a young girl. She could see the fear in his beautiful green eyes, but he was trying to be strong for her.

"Are you scared?" she asked him, as she swept her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, I'm scared as hell. But I know as long as I have you, I'll be swell." Sam answered honestly with a small smile, rubbing his nose against hers, causing her smile slightly; but the smile quickly faded.

"Please don't be down dollface. It would break my heart to leave here knowing that you're worrying your pretty little head about me." Sam pleaded, gently rubbing her smooth cheek, wiping her tears away.

"I know, I know. I just- I can't lose you Sam. I love you." Mercedes said sadly.

"I love you so much Mercedes Jones and it'll take more than some foolish war for you to lose me." Sam assured her, pulling them closer together.

That first night they just lay in each other's arms, holding on the other like their young lives depended on it. The next day with both in a better mood, they stayed in Sam's apartment all day, trying to spend as much time together as possible before they were forced to part.

They lay there in silence on Sam's bed for a while, just feeling the other close to them. Alternating between interlocking their fingers, running their hands through and around the others hair, and just clinging together.

Mercedes reached up and started to plant soft kisses on Sam's lips, which started out chaste but gradually grew to be more passionate and desperate.

"Sammy?" Mercedes murmured, taking Sam attention away from the alluring kisses he was planting on her neck.

"Yes dollface?" Sam answered, looking down into her eyes.

"Make love to me." Mercedes softly demanded, her big brown eyes swimming.

They had only made love once or twice; Sam having to find some lambskin condoms since Mercedes was weary of becoming pregnant out of wedlock. But something about the look in her eyes, a mix of desperation and need, made him mindlessly reach under his mattress where he kept the precious condoms, and begin to undress her.

Mercedes awoke to a pleasant throbbing between her thighs, and a heavy heart. She turned over to face Sam but found nothing but an empty spot next to her. She popped up immediately and began to call his name, when she got no reply she rushed out of bed, wrapping the bed sheet around her body and began searching for him in every room. When her search proved effortless she walked back into the living room, plopping down to the floor.

She couldn't help thinking the worse; just then the front door sprang open, to reveal Sam, balancing two cups, a paper bag, his house keys and a single French fry dangling from his mouth.

"Oh good, you're up. You really did a number on me dollface, so I went and got us some burgers." Sam said happily, as he kicked the door shut and moved to the kitchen.

Mercedes followed Sam into the kitchen where he was setting up their burgers and fries.

"I got us milkshakes; vanilla for you and chocolate for me." Sam said throwing Mercedes a playful wink. When all she offered in return was a weak smile he knew something was wrong. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing, nothing's wrong. Thanks for the food babe." Mercedes said distractedly.

"You thought I left for good didn't you." Sam asked.

Mercedes only looked down in embarrassment as her response.

"Mercy I wouldn't do that." Sam assured.

"You wouldn't have a choice. Sam you leave in two days!" Mercedes exclaimed.

"Mercy please don't do this now. We just spent an amazing night together, I just want to eat and get back into bed with you; and not think about the war until I get there. Please." Sam pleaded, grabbing Mercedes by her waist and pulling her towards him.

Mercedes knew she was being irrational and difficult, but she couldn't help it. Every time she thought about going through a day without seeing or even being able to talk to Sam, she just couldn't stop the tears from coming. She hated upsetting him but she couldn't stop the selfish side of her that just wanted to run away with Sam to someplace where prejudice and war wouldn't find them.

"I'm sorry. I promise no more tears, no more spaztic yelling." Mercedes resolved, snuggling into Sam's chest.

"You're never going to keep that promise." Sam smiled.

"I know. But it sounds easy in my head." Mercedes smiled back, raising her arms to rest around Sam's neck and bringing him down for a light kiss.

"Mmm, what's waiting for me under this sheet?" Sam whispered against Mercedes lips, tugging lightly at the bed sheet she was still wrapped in.

"I don't know, why don't you unwrap it and find out." Mercedes teased back, squealing as Sam lifted her up, letting her wrap her legs around his waist, as he walked them back into his bedroom.

"About time you two left the house, I was beginning to think I wouldn't see Sammy Boy here till the troops came to sweep us up." Puck joked as he, Quinn, Sam, Mercedes, Mike, Tina, Finn, Santana, Kurt, Blaine, Artie, and Brittany were all gathered in the Evans backyard yet again; but this time it was to send their men off with one last party before they departed the next day.

"Oh can it Puckerman! That's no bug bite on Quinn's neck." Santana exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh, as Quinn adjusted her scarf to cover the teeth marks on neck.

"Okay you guys lay off them, we only have a little bit more time before our boys leave." Tina said, looking over to Mike sadly.

"Yeah, we have to send our fellas off in style, and slightly hung-over." Kurt chimed in raising his glass, and releasing a playful shout along with everyone else when they followed suit.

"Why aren't you going Kurt? I know you and Blaine would look so fetch in a uniform." Brittany asked.

"No queers or cripples in the service." Artie said sadly, Blaine patted his shoulder in sympathy.

"Well I for one am glad you guys will be here, or else my life would be a taco fest." Mercedes said getting up and plopping herself into Arties lap.

"Hey don't knock it til you try it Dandridge." Santana shouted, over all the music and laughs.

"I feel earthbound already. What war?" Artie said with a large smile, wrapping an arm around Mercedes and pulling her into a hug.

"You're just going to let Shortcake cozy up with wheels over there." Puck asked Sam playfully.

Artie stuck gave Puck the finger as he and Mercedes continued to drink and sing along to the music blasting from the radio.

"I'm not flipping." Sam said to Puck, making his way over to Mercedes. "My girl knows who lays it down." He whispered dangerously in her ear, as he passed her to walk into the house.

Mercedes gulped audibly, taking a large gulp of her drink to lessen the burning in her loins.

"Mercedes are you okay? You look like feverish." Finn asked in worry.

"I'm fine." Mercedes said in a strained voice, watching Sam as he entered back into the yard with more beers, winking when he caught her eye.

Santana and Kurt exchanged knowing looks and devious grins as they watched the exchange between the two.

"So Finn, where's Rachel?" Blaine asked, sensing that Mercedes needed an out from the attention.

There was an audible groan from everyone around as Rachel's name was mentioned, but Finn seemed to not notice as he answered "She had to do some work for her boss."

Mercedes and Kurt shared a knowing glance as Mercedes made her way from Artie's lap to Kurt. "Terri is out of town right?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yes ma'am she is, but her husband is not." Kurt whispered back, the both of them shaking their heads.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sam asked,

"How much I'm going to miss you." Mercedes said, turning to Sam and wrapping her hands around his neck.

"I'm going to miss you too Dollface. But we'll be writing each other so much it'll be like we're not even apart." Sam assured her.

"Promise?" she asked.

"Promise." He smiled, kissing her lips lightly and wrapping his arms around her waist and keeping her to his side for the remainder of the party.

Things were on a high until it started getting late, and everyone was either drunk, crying, or passed out. Luckily Mercedes was a happy drunk, so she was coherent enough to help put a passed out Blaine in the back seat of Kurt's car so they could go home, and finally calm down Santana's hysterical tears down enough for her to leave with Brittany. While Sam and Mike had to wrangle up Puck and Quinn, who were alternating between arguing and making out in his parents living room, while Tina just stood by and laughed. Soon enough everyone was gone and it was just Sam and Mercedes left cleaning up.

There was an unspoken tension between the two as they moved around the backyard, silently picking up trash. This was their last night together for God only knew how long, and they were both dreading what came after the sun rose the next morning.

Mercedes was putting the last of the dishes away when she heard a noise behind her, she nearly shit her pants until she realized it was only Mr. Evans.

"Oh my goodness! You scared me, Mr. Evans." Mercedes exclaimed with a nervous chuckle resting a calming hand on her chest.

"I apologize, that wasn't my intention. I heard someone down here cleaning up and I thought it was Samuel. Where is he anyway?" Dwight said, stepping into the kitchen and looking around.

"He's outside putting away the tables and chairs." She said.

"Ah yes, the sendoff party. How was it?" He asked leaning against the counter opposite of her.

"It was very fun, but bitter sweet, I guess you could say. You must be very proud of Sam, him going and fighting for his country and all." Mercedes said, not really wanting to think about it.

"I am, sadly I can't say the same for Mary. It's never easy for a woman to let go of her children. It is much easier as a father, and being a former soldier myself, to finally see him in his uniform will make it all the more legitimate." He said proudly.

"Yes, yes it will." Mercedes mumbled sadly, tightening her arms around herself, and trying to blink back tears.

"Mercedes I understand that you and my son harbor strong feelings for one another, and if both Samuel and Mary had their way, you will most likely be my daughter-in-law one day; but you must know one thing. I do not tolerate weakness in my family." Dwight said sternly, snapping Mercedes out of her own private reverie in shock.

"Samuel is a strong willed young man, once he sets his sights on something, he will not stop until he gets it. And I know that he has his sights set to come back to _you_, and he will." Dwight said lightly, before leaving the kitchen as if nothing had happened.

"I never thought I would say this, but he's right you know." Sam said emerging through the walkway closest to the backdoor.

Mercedes remained silent as she thought about what Mr. Evans had just told her, she knew that Sam loved her, and she desperately wanted to be his wife one day, but letting him go now would be the death of her.

"Let's go back to your pad tonight; I don't want to hear Blaine's motorboat routine tonight." Mercedes said, trying to lighten the mood.

They made back to Sam's place in a much better mood, having been singing and talking in the car. They settled in his room, Mercedes collapsing on the bed as Sam stood kicking his shoes off.

"Sammy." Mercedes called.

"Yeah baby?" Sam asked, looking at her leaning against the pillows at the head of his bed.

"Come here." She ordered, calling him over.

Sam hit the lights before slowly crawling up the bed and settling beside her. He wrapped her up in his arms and held her there until they fell asleep.

Before they knew it the sun was up and Sam was in his uniform, waiting for pick up. Puck and Quinn had arrived earlier, shortly after Mercedes finished talking to her brother on the phone for more than two hours, pleading with him yet again to change his mind, when he refused all she could do was pray with him and beg him to be careful.

"He's going to be fine Cedes. Robbie is a tough guy." Quinn assured Mercedes as they sat in front of Sam's apartment.

"I know, but he's my big brother. I just keep thinking of all the time we spent bickering and nitpicking with each other. I just want him to know that I love him."

"He knows Mercedes." Quinn said, hugging her.

Sam looked over at Mercedes sitting holding on to Quinn, they had agreed the night before that they wouldn't hold on to each other, it would make separating far too painful. So as soon as Quinn and Puck arrived, she latched on to Quinn, holding on to her tightly.

Sam was moving toward Mercedes when he saw a big grey bus pull up. Immediately everyone's heart started to race, as Puck and Quinn came together, hugging one another one last time with kisses and light smiles.

Mercedes rushed to Sam and they clung together.

"Don't be a hero Samuel Evans. You come back to me." Mercedes ordered, as she buried her face into his chest.

"Puckerman, Noah! Evans, Samuel! Load up!" screamed a large man in a commanders uniform from the bus.

Puck kissed Quinn one last time before walking up to the bus, confirming his name, and climbing onto the bus.

Mercedes looked up at Sam one more time, they promised long ago that they wouldn't say goodbye to each other. Goodbye implied that they wouldn't see one another again.

"I love you Mercedes Jones. I promise I will be back." Sam said as a small tear fell from his eyes, holding either side of her fa ce gently, and resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you too." Mercedes choked out, kissing his lips in a slow chaste kiss.

"Evans!" the man yelled again.

"Sam, come on man, we have to go." Puck said softly, seeing the intimate moment and not wanting to rush them, but knowing the longer they stayed the harder it would be for his friends.

Sam and Mercedes begrudgingly let each other go, and Mercedes watched helplessly as Sam walked onto the bus and drove away.

She stood there watching the bus roll down the street, not realizing that she fell to the ground in a fit of tears until she felt strong arms wrap around her shoulders. She looked up to see her father, looking back at her.

"It's gon be alright baby girl." Her father said softly, he didn't much like the idea of his daughter with a white man, but he had seen their sorrowful goodbye; seen how she had been able to keep it together until the bus pulled off, before caving into herself.

"He's gone daddy. He's gone." Mercedes sobbed, leaning into her father for support.

She was going to need all the support she could get.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Okk I know I like, just updated, but I have been on a creative and emotional roll with these last few chapters, with each one being more emotionally tasking than the last. So this is some fairly light fluff, before the tears really come. I really hope you like this, b/c most of you will probably hate me once you read the next few updates :-(. **

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_ Sept. 16, 1956_

_Dearest Sammy, _

_It has been a month since my last letter to you, I waited for a response but I doubt the mail is finding you, with Tina here writing Mike 5 letters a day. But I want to keep you updated; talking to you through these letters keeps me from becoming a recluse. _

_I spend more time with momma and memaw now more than I did before I left it seems. Your mother too. They have survived this; they keep giving me encouraging words every day. I think I go back to your parents pad more to see the pictures of you, and to go to your bedroom, just to breathe in the scent of you. Daddy has been a great source of comfort, we have yet to talk about our relationship, but he doesn't seem put-off by it. I told Robbie in a letter I wrote to him, he was less than thrilled. But I…we will cross that bridge when we get to it._

_Quinn is about 2 months along now, she keeps sending Puck letters, but they have yet to come back to her either. Her hormones are driving me up the wall, between the constant cravings and spastic bouts of emotions; I would love to hop a plane and find Puck myself and make him watch after his girl. But just knowing that in a few months I'll be a God auntie does make it worth it. _

_Kurt and Blaine send their love of course; Kurt says he has fabulous ideas on how to spruce up your uniform when you get back. I think he just says that to keep my spirits up. I can hardly concentrate at work now, I wrote an entire article one day only to get it back from Kurt saying that I had typed your name into much of it. _

_I miss you terribly. It's sometimes too hard to get out of bed, but I know I have to keep pushing forward. Sometimes I dream that I wake up, and find that this whole war is just a nightmare; and you're here with me and we're newlyweds in a beautiful exotic land. Where we don't have to worry about the looks, or the whispers, and we just live happily; walking the cobbled streets hand in hand, taking in the beautiful sights and kind people, where we have a new adventure every day and make love every night. But then I awake, and find that I am alone yet again. _

_I pray for your safety every day, and hope that this letter reaches you. Please be safe, please come back to me in one piece. Until I see you again I will continue to dream of you. _

_I love you more than words can say. _

_Forever yours, _

_Mercy _


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Again this is just some of the lighter stuff, consider it a Halloween/Sandy Survival gift. I hope you enjoy, and as always please review. **

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_ Oct. 5, 1956_

_My Lovely Mercy, _

_I love you so much! I am sorry for not writing sooner, we have been on the move constantly. But we have finally settled, all the men are excited to finally receive their letters. You were right about Mike; he got about 20 letters today. I think Puck is in the second running, he sat still as a statue for about an hour after he first read that Quinn was expecting. But now he's just rubbing it everyone's face that he's going to be a daddy. _

_How is your grandmother? I hope she is getting better. Tell her and our mother's not to worry about me, that goes for you too Dollface. Puck is as crazy as the people we're fighting, and Mike is like a snake in a bush; with them covering me, I know I will be fine. _

_I did have a run in with Robbie's platoon, he didn't say much to me, but I think it's because his commander was near. I doubt it is the last time I will see him here. _

_I want you to know that your dream will be our reality one day. When I come back, we'll pack our bags, get circled and go anywhere in the world you want. I think about you all the time Mercy. Sometimes in the field, when the gunfire has ceased and the wind is gentle and calm, I can almost hear your voice; calling out to me like an angel in hopeless place. I dream of holding you in my arms, of being anywhere but here. All the other guys have pictures of their girls, or pinups, but I have my thoughts of you to keep me warm. Thinking of your eyes, warm and vibrant, keeps me moving every day. Knowing that I will have those eyes welcoming me back, gives me hope every day. _

_I know that someday soon, we will be together. I can't tell when, but I can feel it in my bones that we will be in each other's arms before we know it. _

_I love you more than life itself. I promise to come back to you, and you have never left my dreams, not since I was 16 years old. _

_Yours always, _

_Sammy _


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** **I am so glad you guys have liked the previous updates, I do want to clarify something without giving anything away: Of course I wouldn't kill off Sam! I loooove Samcedes and would never do anything to ruin their relationship, that's RIB's job. But I can understand your worries. Sadly things only get sadder from here, but they do get MUCH better (eventually). So anyway, I hope you enjoy, and as always please review. **

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_ Nov. 27. 1956_

_Dearest Sammy,_

_Happy thanksgiving! I wish you were here. The holidays seem very empty with absence of men. Santana says this is her dream come true, but I know she misses you all as much as the rest of us do. Artie sends his blessings, and says that he is there with you guys in spirit. _

_I am enclosing a picture of myself for __**your**__ personal viewing pleasure. I wore your favorite outfit of mine. I just want you to keep your eyes on the prize, so to speak. _

_I heard to the radio that some men with injuries are starting to come back, but also that stronger, younger men are being sent out. It was the worst kind of conflict I've ever had with myself. I want so desperately for you to be back, but not injured, at least not terribly like those men. But I know in the end, I would love you still and be happy to have you back just the same. _

_ During dinner, I thanked God for you and our future together. Even daddy, said he was thankful that there were trustworthy men defending our country, I think he's coming around. I don't want there to be any problems between you and Robbie, especially out there in the middle of nowhere, but eventually one of you will tell me what happened. _

_I love you with all my heart, and one day I'll tell our daughter how her mother had her father real gone by the time she was 15 years old. I'll see you in my dream tonight my love. _

_Love eternally, _

_Mercy _


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I hope you guys enjoy this update, cause it's about to get real sad. For the reviewer that said these updates gave you "thug tears", I'm sure I laughed for 10 straight minutes. I love you guys! That being said, please don't hate me when you read future updates. **

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_ Dec. 11, 1956_

_My Lovely Mercy, _

_I know it will be a long while before this letter reaches you, so Happy Holidays baby. I am most thankful for the picture you sent me; you know how much I love you in those shorts. But now all the guys keep coming by my bunk to sneak a peek at "Evans's smoking hot chocolate lady". I'm going to have to hide it. Thanks for the care packages too, between you and my mother sending so many cookies I don't know how I'm going to keep moving over here. _

_I regret to tell you though, that our troop leaders have told us that we will be ambushing the enemy in the next few days, and no one is sure how long we will be gone. _

_I'm scared as hell Mercy, a guy in our troop was killed two days ago. His name was David, but we just called him Karofsky. He was shot out of nowhere Mercy, one minute we're all talking and laughing, and the next he was on the ground, not an ounce of life in him. I thought I could make it through this war easily, but I'm not so sure anymore. Even with the presence of Mike and Puck and a few new friends, but this is the first time I've ever doubted myself. I don't want you to worry about me though._

_I want to be with you so badly right now Mercy, I can hardly breathe. I keep replaying all of our moments together, and as we're about to be dropped into enemy territory, the only gift I wish I had for Christmas was you in my arms. _

_Pray for us Mercy. _

_Yours, _

_Sammy_

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**Please review and tell me what you think.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I hope everyone on the East Coast are recovering well. This is probably the last "happy" update for a while. I hope you enjoy it. Please review and tell me what you think. Updates of Summer Lovin' will be coming soon. **

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_ Jan. 13, 1957_

_My Sammy, _

_I am so sorry to hear about your friend David, I prayed for his family as soon as I read your letter. Please do not give up hope Sammy, I can't even imagine how things must be for you all the way over there, but I need you to come back to me! You have so many people waiting for you when you get back, your family, your job, our friends, and me. We are all praying for you, all of you. Please promise me that you will not give up hope, I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I love you too much to even consider the thought. _

_But now on to lighter things, Happy New Year's flutter bum! I am glad that you like your picture, not so much that the other guys like it. I think about you every day, I don't know how Quinn does it. She seems so calm, and at peace, even with the few letters we get from you guys. I wish you could see her; she's about ready to burst. My mother and memaw ask about you all the time; you must be somewhere far from Robbie because we get his letters regularly. But things are as normal as they can be here; I did get promoted at the paper (you should have seen Berry's face when Terri announced it) and bought myself a slightly newer car. Sometimes I catch myself driving by your apartment, only to see it still vacant. _

_I miss you so much Sammy. But I know it will only be a matter of time before we see each other again. I love you so much; I wish I could send you my hugs and kisses through the mail. Stay encouraged. _

_Yours truly, _

_Mercy_


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay so this is chapter where I will probably lose half you. First off just let me say: I love you all and please don't hate me! and of course Sam WILL NOT die...overseas. Secondly, things will get better...eventually. But as I warned you all before, things get very emotional. As always, leave a review, and don't stop reading, no matter what happens. **

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_ Feb. 2, 1957_

_My only love Mercedes, _

_This is this hardest thing I have ever had to do, but I am only doing this because I love you more than my next breath. You have been my everything for longer than I can remember. I never stopped thinking about you, not even when you packed up and moved off to Canada. You have to know that everything I do here is because I love you._

_I don't know how long I will be in this God forsaken war, but if I'm stuck here for any longer than we had originally thought… I don't want you to wait. You deserve to live a full life; complete with a functioning job, beautiful children, and a husband who loves you as much as I do (if that's even possible), and I don't want to stand in the way of that. _

_I will never forget the first time I saw you, really saw you. We were 16 years old, it was your birthday, it should have been like every other day, but something was different. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you; you had on the most beautiful yellow sun dress that made your skin glow. Your hair was in long curls, and you had the brightest and most genuine smile I had ever seen. I knew when I was 13 years old that I loved you, but in that moment when you blew out your candles and looked right at me, making my heart stop, I knew I was __**in**__ love with you. Then I couldn't stop myself from pulling you behind the big tree, I had hoped you wouldn't see how my hands were shaking, or hear how loud my heart was pounding; but when we kissed, I felt the world evaporate around me. And looking back into your eyes, and seeing you smile at me, I didn't care that I was white and you were black, or that your brother threatened my life if I ever touched you again, or that we were both with different people. All that mattered was I had shared my first kiss with the girl I loved. And seeing you after all these years made me the happiest I had ever been since before you left._

_I don't want to let you go Mercy, I would rather cut off my own arm, but I can't let you keep living half a life waiting for me. So if this is the end of our relationship I just want you to know that I will never stop loving you. You have made every moment of my life with you worth living. I will never forget how much I love you in this very moment. _

_Don't forget about us…don't forget about me. _

_I will love you until the day I die. _

_Love, _

_Samuel Evans_

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__**So... what do you think? Please don't hate me! LOL Leave a review. **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Well if you guys are still reading, I just wanna say thank you, and I hope you guys are going to the polls to vote (ahem - Obama - ahem) So here is Mercedes response to Sam's very emotional letter. You guys have no idea how hard it was to write these last two letters between them, it was physically painful for me. So please keep reading, b/c even though it's hella cliche, I do love happy endings. Please review. **

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_ Feb. 24, 1957_

_Dear Sammy, _

_Please, don't talk like that. Don't do this. You __**are **__coming home and we __**are**__ going to be together! I don't even want to think of living my life with someone besides you. I know you think that you're protecting me from heartbreak, but just the thought of giving up on us makes me feel like I have a hole in my chest. _

_You're not the only one who will never forget us; you think it didn't tear me up a little every time I saw you with Quinn. I was so confused about my feelings because I loved you both like my family, but I couldn't help the twinge in my heart when you would hold her hand, or look at her with your amazing green eyes. So at my 16__th__ birthday party when it was time to make a wish and blow out the candles, the only thing in my mind was that I wanted you to look at me. Just once, like you looked at Quinn; and when I looked up, you weren't looking at me the same way. It was so much more, it was the look I saw in my parents eyes when they would just sit and look at each other for what seemed like hours. When you pulled me behind that tree, I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, but when I looked at you and saw you shaking just as bad as I was, I knew even before the kiss that we were meant to be together. _

_I still don't care what other people think of us, I don't care about anyone but you! I just want you to come back! Please don't do this to me, to us! If you really love me you will come back, and know that I would never love anyone else. You turned me coming back for my sick Memaw into an adventure and a second chance at a love I thought was long lost. We have been through so much already, don't throw it all away. Please come back to me Sammy. _

_I don't care if you don't want me to, I will wait 100 lifetimes if it means I get to see you again. _

_I will never stop loving you! _

_Mercy _

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**Please tell me what you think! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I have been a very very bad bad girl. I have been sooo over zealous about cranking out these updates to you guys, I have been completely neglecting my incredible, talented, AMAZING Beta Caryn. Im soooo sorry Carebearcaryn, you're so wonderful! **

**Now, back to the story. Letters are over, back to reality, but were the letters better? Im so happy to see so many new readers, especially box5angel, who has reviewed EVERY chapter of this story and is so entertaining to read. Im glad you guys are still holding on and reading, I know I keep saying this, but things are going to get ****_much_**** better wink wink Enjoy the update. **

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3 weeks. That's how long it had been since had heard from Sam. She had no idea what was going on with him and she was scared shitless. She wrote him a letter every week, but every week there was no reply. She wasn't the only one, Tina was getting no replies from Mike either, but he hadn't tried to end their relationship because he thought it was for the best. Quinn constantly assured her that Sam was fine, but secretly even she had her doubts. He and Puck were no longer in the same Platoon, so she couldn't be 100% sure, but after reading the letter Sam had wrote to her, she would have promised her friend anything if it meant saving her from any more pain.

Mercedes was sitting in her apartment with Kurt, Blaine, Quinn, and Tina sitting around talking, waiting for Santana and Brittany to show up. She knew they were there to get her mind off things, but it was useless, her heart was half empty and only one green eyed man could fill it.

"What do you think Queen?" Kurt asked turning and facing Mercedes. She had completely drawn a blank, she knew they were talking about something, was it interior decorating? Yeah that sounded about right, she thought.

"Oh yeah, totally." She said absently, looking down into her fourth cup of coffee. They all glanced from Mercedes to each other with worry.

Tina looked over at her sadly; she knew what she was going through completely. It wasn't the content of the letter that was making her depressed; it was the lack of knowing. Not knowing where he was, or if he was even okay.

"Mercedes." Tina whispered, waiting until their eyes met, before gently grabbing her hand. Blaine grabbed her other hand, both of them letting their own inner strength pass through her.

"We're here for you Cedes. I know you don't want to talk about it yet, but whenever you're ready, we're here for you." Quinn said looking into her friends sad eyes.

"Thank you guys. I don't know what I would do without you. It's like I'm in limbo, I can't stand not knowing where he is." Mercedes said cheerlessly.

"I know it's hard Cedes, but we can't give up hope." Tina confirmed with a firm squeeze to her hand.

Suddenly there was a loud and insistent banging on the door, alarming everyone, Kurt jumped up and sprinted to the door; opening it to reveal a frantic looking Santana.

"Mercedes! Hurry your family is downstairs! They said Robbie is back!" she announced breathlessly.

"What?!" Mercedes exclaimed in shock, jumping up and rushing out of the door running right into her family.

"Mom! Is it true?! Is Robbie back?" Mercedes asked frantically, trying to look around her mother and see if her brother was in the family truck

"We just got a call this mornin' from the Govment, saying that all the mens is coming home." Her mother said with tears in her eyes.

"Oh my God." Mercedes whispered in shock. She couldn't believe it, did this mean the war was finally over?

"Where is he?" she asked desperately.

"They droppin' them at the airport." Dorothy told her daughter, who also had tears streaming down her face.

"We have to go mom! We have to go right now!" Mercedes rushed, to her family truck to see no room and was heading for her own car when she was intercepted by Kurt.

"Queen we're coming with you, you're way too frantic to drive." Kurt said, with Blaine by his side, moving Mercedes towards his car.

"Wait! We're coming too! My mom just rang and told me that Mrs. Puckerman called her and told her Puck is coming home today too! The war is over. Our men are coming home." Quinn said, rushing after them, eyes brimming with tears.

Everyone loaded into their cars and rushed to the airport as fast as they could. All Mercedes could think about was what Quinn had said, about their men coming home. She couldn't wait to see Robbie again, but would she see Sam again too?

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**So what did you guys think? Please review and tell me what you think. **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here's an update! YAY! Okk so I know most of you were dissapointed by the last update, but I promise this one will be very. Okk so I don't know exactly how many chapters im gonna write, but I do know ch.19 will be pure smut. This is my chance at redemption from you awesome people, and your reward for sticking in there so long. So review the ch., and leave any smut request (situations, positions lol anything). As always you guys are the best and a HUGE shout out to my main gurl, my beta: Caryn. You're awesome girly! Enjoy. :-)**

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Mercedes could not stop pacing; they had been at the airport for over 2 hours with dozens of other families, waiting for the soldiers to arrive. Everyone was stressing in their own way; with Quinn unconsciously rubbing her pregnant belly, Santana and Brittany clenching one another's hands, Kurt bouncing his legs, and Blaine biting his nails. The only people who seemed absolutely serene were her mother, grandmother, and Tina. Even her father, who was usually as readable as granite, was jumping up every 10 minutes to use the bathroom.

"So is this deathly calm attitude just a circled woman thing?" Mercedes asked Tina, as she took a seat next to her.

Tina softly giggled before responding, "It's not just a circled thing; it's a love thing."

"Then why am I spazzing out over here?!" Mercedes asked skeptically, sitting back in her chair and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Because you're having doubts." Tina said, looking over at her. Mercedes tried to avert her guilty gaze, but something about the way Tina was looking at her made it impossible. "You doubt whether he still loves you, but you know he does."

"I was so angry Tina. I almost didn't write him back; and what if he's not on that plane? Then all I'll have is my guilt." Mercedes admitted sadly.

"Cedes, you know that's not true. You'll forgive him, and he'll forgive you. You know how I know?" Tina paused to let Mercedes respond with a shake of her head, "Because you forgive your first love anything." Tina assured with a light smile.

Mercedes watched her friend for a while, as she turned what she had just told her around in her head. She had been brewing in her own guilt for over 3 weeks. After getting that letter from Sam, she cried, then she yelled and cursed him, and cried some more, then thought about it for a few days before writing him back. All she could think about was him dying and thinking that she was moving on; and she hated him for it. She hated him for leaving her with this unsure feeling, she hated him for breaking her heart, and she hated him for being able to let go of what they had so easily. But Tina was right, if he were to walk through here tomorrow or 20 years from now, she would forgive him in a heartbeat. She loved him so much it scared her, but living without him scared her even more.

Abruptly there was a loud scream; they looked up to see a woman dashing towards a tall man in a green uniform. Everyone stood, looking around frantically as the port was suddenly filled with young men in uniforms.

Dorothy was the first one to see him, getting up from her seat and moving faster than Mercedes had ever seen her move in her whole life. Mercedes followed her mother's line of sight to see her brother walking towards them with a large duffle bag over his shoulder.

"Robbie!" her mother sobbed as she wrapped her only son up in a fierce hug.

"Hey mama." Robbie whispered, trying to hold back his own tears.

"C'mere boy." Robert said, trying to keep himself from crying as he pulled Robbie into a hug.

Robbie kneeled down next to Barbara to give her a hug, before standing and looking over at his sister. They hadn't spoken since Mercedes' last letter to him, telling him the whole truth about her and Sam.

"Hey there soldier." Mercedes said, with a watery smile. Robbie just continued to look at his sister before pulling her to him.

"I missed you ankle bitter." Robbie said into her hair.

"I missed you too."

Mercedes pulled back to see her friends hugging Puck and Mike.

"Shortcake!" Puck yelled as he swept her up, making her giggle.

"Welcome back Bull." She said with a smile, pulling Mike into a hug once Puck set her down.

Everyone stood around talking and just taking in the moment, everyone clinging to their partner as Mercedes kept one arm wrapped around Robbie.

"Oh my God. Cedes." Her grandmother breathed, Mercedes looked at her and followed to where her grandmother was pointing.

Her heart nearly stopped at what she saw. Standing across the room with his own family was Sam Evans. She felt like her head was spinning, because even though his back was to her, she still knew it was him. She wanted to run to him, but looked over at her father and brother unknowingly.

"Go ahead fatty bread." Robert said to his daughter, as Robbie nodded, letting go of her and stepping back symbolically.

Mercedes slowly started to weave her way through the thick crowd, never taking her eyes off of him. She saw Mary whisper into his ear and watched as he shot up, and scanned the crowded frantically until he saw her and started walking toward her. She hurried faster; no longer caring that she was pushing people out of her way as she and Sam raced towards each other in full out runs.

"Sammy!" she yelled, getting closer but still feeling she was so far away.

"Mercy!" Sam yelled, moving people aside, trying to reach her.

Mercedes ran towards him with everything she had in her, jumping into his arms when she finally reached him, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, as Sam gripped her just as tight.

She sobbed into his shoulder as she gripped him strongly, Sam couldn't stop breathing in her scent, a scent he thought he would never smell again.

Sam reached down and crashed his lips to hers, their tongues battling sensually as they continued to grip each other. When they finally broke apart for air, Sam barely had enough time to compose himself before he felt a swift slap come across his face.

"Don't you **ever **do that to me again! Do you hear me?! Don't ever leave me again!" Mercedes demanded, pulling him back into a powerful kiss.

"I promise baby. I missed you so much." Sam said when they broke apart once again, keeping her clasped tightly to him, burying his face into the crook of her neck, not wanting to let her go.

He pulled back and held either side of her face, swiping her plump cheeks clean of all tears.

"I love you so much. I would never leave you, ever. I wouldn't want to live my life without you." Mercedes pleaded, grabbing hold to Sam's wrist as he continued to hold her face.

"I know, and I'm so sorry I asked you to. Please forgive me, I love you Mercy. I never wanted to hurt you." Sam assured, resting his forehead against hers, lightly kissing her lips.

Mercedes let go of his wrists to run her fingers over his medals and ribbons, one she recognized as a Purple Heart, on his jacket before slowly trailing her hands down the center of chest, and wrapping her small arms around his waist.

"Take me home Mercy. I just want to go home." Sam said, continuing to rest his forehead on hers.

"I will baby. I promise." Mercedes sniffed back tears, holding him tightly.

Everyone and everything around them disappeared as they continued to hold one another like their lives depended on it.

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**HEEEEEEEES BAAAAAAAAACK! But what happens between now and smut? Hmm? Gotta find out! Please review! **

******ch.19 will be pure smut. This is my chance at redemption from you awesome people, and your reward for sticking in there so long. So review the ch., and leave any smut request (situations, positions lol anything)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Please enjoy this update. **

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Mercedes awoke with a start, feeling completely disheveled and confused. It took her a few moments to realize she was alone in her room; she looked over at her clock to see it was a little after 2am. She sighed sadly, assuming that her fairytale reunion with her brother and Sam had been a dream; suddenly the door to her room was opening and all she could make out in the shadows was a tall, muscular figure making its way towards her. She was about to scream, when the bed abruptly dipped, and she was able to make out Sam in nothing but his underwear slowly crawling up the bed.

"I'm sorry baby did I wake you?" Sam asked, laying down and resting on his forearms above her.

"No, I just woke up." she said skeptically, pinching him, still not believing she wasn't dreaming.

"Ow. What was that for?" Sam asked, as he rubbed his shoulder.

Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief, "I just had to make sure I'm not dreaming." She said up to him from her position on the bed.

"No dollface, you're not dreaming." Sam chuckled, leaning down over her flat form to kiss her lips. "Although, I did have to pinch myself a couple of times too; but I had permission."

Mercedes' body shook from her laughs only for her to soon regret it. She ached all over. She felt like she had been thrown against a wall for an hour. She pulled down the covers and gasped at the sight, she looked down to see her naked body covered in multiple hickies that scattered across her chest, stomach, and thighs.

"Wha-what the hell?" she asked in disbelief, looking over at Sam to see his broad chest and shoulders looking much like the rest of her, with some very painful scratches mixed in.

"Yeah about these; things got kind of…" Sam drawled, trying to think of the right word.

"Rough?" Mercedes finished.

"Passionate. I was going to go with passionate." Sam laughed lightly, but stopped when he noticed that Mercedes did not quite share his humor.

"Mercy we haven't seen each other in over 5 months. I'm sorry if it looks bad, but there were no complaints when they were being made." He assured her.

"I know, I just- wait how long have we been in here?" she asked, noticing that some of the marks on the both of them looked a little older.

"Um, about a day and a half." Sam said, scratching the back of his neck in thought.

"A day?!" Mercedes exclaimed in surprise.

"And a half." Sam finished.

"Wow…" Mercedes sighed. She was sure there was an appropriate response for finding out that she had been stowed up in a bedroom for a day and a half with her boyfriend, but all she could think about was the fact that Sam was **finally** back home; and that they had apparently engaged in a sex marathon.

"Yeah, that's what I said. I had to wait until you fell asleep just so I could use the bathroom." Sam mumbled, slowly resting back onto the bed.

"Sam we need to talk." Mercedes said after a long while of content silence.

Sam sighed before answering. "Is this about the letter?" he asked.

"Yes, but I also need to know where your head is at. Tell me what happened over there Sam." Mercedes said, turning over to look at Sam.

Sam sighed deeply, running his hands down his face. "I don't even know where to begin. At first I was just scared about being away from you and my family, but after making it through basic training, and being sent overseas…things just changed. Everywhere we went people were either shooting at us, or asking us to protect them from the people shooting at us. And after I saw Karofsky die… I mean Jesus Mercy he was right there! He was standing right across from me! The next thing I know he's on the ground, gripping his chest with blood soaking through his fingers. I tried to save him, I really did, but… he was gone. After that I just felt so hopeless." He paused for a long moment to collect himself.

Mercedes watched as he unconsciously rubbed the scars on his chest as he sat in silence trying to calm himself.

"Then there was this time we were right in the middle of it, with shots going off everywhere, our commander was telling us to retreat but some of the guys wouldn't. I was just about to fall back when out of nowhere there was this loud boom and everything went black, I couldn't see or hear straight, and all I could feel was pain and blood running down my chest. When everything came back into focus, I realized someone had stepped on a landmine. I looked around and everyone who I had just been yelling to were down on the ground either holding on to life or dead. I didn't think; I just reacted. I started finding anyone who was breathing, which turned out to only be two guys, and I dragged them back to camp with me. I just couldn't leave them there. I thought I had done something good in that God forsaken country, finally; but a few hours later while I was in Medic, they told me that one of the guys I brought back, Blake, had died from the shrapnel. I had done everything right to save him, and he was still dead. And then there were the letters from his girl, Blake would tell me about her all the time, so I took them. At first I was just going to save them and send them back, but something told me to read them, so I did.

She didn't know he was dead Mercy, she kept writing him and sending him pictures, all the things you were doing, and they would never see each other again. She would be waiting for him to come back, but he never would.

All I could think about was what if that was us? What if I died, but you kept waiting for me? I was already disrupting your focus at work, and mom would tell me how you would spend hours at their house and just disappear. I didn't want to be the reason why you would never have a normal, functional life. So I wrote you that letter. But believe me Mercy, it wasn't easy. I had to wait for my hands to stop shaking, to even write your name. I never wanted to break your heart, and I'm so sorry and I take it all back, but the thought of you living half a life just because of me made me sick." Sam finished solemnly, looking over at Mercedes as she dried her eyes.

"Sammy, I will never know fully what you went through over there. But I know that you're a hero and a survivor, and you don't need a Silver Star or a Purple Heart to tell you that. You did do everything right and you are a great soldier, and a great friend. I'm so sorry about all the friends you lost. We're stronger than some war. I would never move on, even if you had died. I did spend hours at your parents' house, but you want to know what I was doing? I was in your old bedroom, just looking at the posters on your wall, and the books you liked to read, and smelling your old clothes. Just so I could feel like you were there. Because I will never love anyone the way I love you." Mercedes said, leaning over to look into Sam's eyes that had previously been trained on the ceiling.

"Were." Sam said, out of nowhere.

"What?" Mercedes asked in confusion.

"You said I am a good soldier, but it's 'were'. I was Honorably Discharged when I got my medals." Sam said lowly, almost to himself.

"You don't have to go back?" Mercedes asked hopefully, perking up a bit more.

"No Mercy, I don't have to go back." Sam said, a small smile playing on his lips.

Mercedes squealed and wrapped her arms around him, allowing him to pull her on top of him.

"Do you think I'll ever be the way I used to be?" Sam asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Mercedes asked.

"I mean I feel like I broke over there, and then someone tried to put me back together, but the pieces are all mixed up." Sam said, trying to phrase it as best he could.

Mercedes heart broke all over again, she could see him fighting to get himself back, and she wasn't going to let him do it alone. "Of course you're going to be okay. I'll put you back together baby." Mercedes said through tears as she leaned into him to kiss him.

"I love you Mercedes Amber Jones, and I am never letting you go ever again." Sam said against her lips.

"I love you more Samuel Chord Evans, and you couldn't let me go even if you wanted to." She smiled against his lips.

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**So what do you think? As always leave a review. **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: So I know it's been forever since I updated this story, but getting past my deep desire to go out and murder RIB and burn their bodies with the remaining script of Glee was tough. Soooooo... HERE'S THE SMUT I PROMISED YOU! I hope you like it! I was waaay too anxious to get it Beta'd, but huge shout out to my girl CareBearCaryn! So enjoy the smut lovelies ;-)**

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Mercedes had no idea what had come over her or Sam, but they could not keep their hands off of each other. Every waking moment they spent the last 48 and a half hours had been spent having sex. It didn't start out that way, at first their love making was tentative, with Sam being afraid that he may be too rough, but once Mercedes assured him that if he did she would tell him. Since then it had been nothing but animalistic pleasure.

They had just stepped out of the shower, Mercedes in a towel rubbing herself with lotion, and Sam watching her while he wrapped a towel around his waist. Sam watched enticed as she smoothed the cream all over her lustrous skin, unconsciously licking his lips.

"You smell so good." He whispered against her neck, having slid behind her when she wasn't looking, and wrapping his arms around her taut waist. "And you're so soft." He said, placing kisses on the back of her exposed neck.

"Sammy." She whimpered, when she felt him start to nibble on her neck, and rub his big hands up her legs under her towel.

She turned to face him, placing her tiny hands on his shoulder, every time she touched him she marveled at not only how muscular he had become, but also the scars on his chest. They ranged from small, barely visible scratches, to thumb sized scars; all a result from the war.

Sam bent down to slowly kiss her lips, but became more passionate as she pulled him in closer, growing more and more desperate for his kisses. Mercedes gasped as he lifted her up and placed her on the sink, stepping between her legs.

Mercedes could feel his erection through both of their towels and it made her want him even more, causing her to pull him even closer.

Sam pulled back reluctantly in need of air, and saw the pure lust in her eyes, he smiled knowingly.

He pulled her hands away from his neck and placed them above her head, against the mirror, and with the other hand he ripped the towels from both of their bodies, and grabbed his arousal; rubbing it tortuously against her.

They moaned out, shivering at the feel of one another uncovered.

"Do you want it baby?" Sam asked through clenched teeth, not stopping his slow torture.

"Yeees." Mercedes hissed, jumping slightly at the feeling of the head of his member tapping against her clit.

"How badly do you want it Dollface?" Sam asked, slowly dragging his dick up her soaking slit, stopping only to tap her clit, and slowly dragging it back down.

"Oh my God!... So badly! Please give it to me baby!" Mercedes begged, barely able to think clearly, only thinking about how she couldn't do anything but take the slow teasing, unable to move her hands and unable to control the movement of her own hips.

Sam wasted no more time, releasing her hands and kissing her deeply as he pushed into her, causing them both to hiss in pleasure.

Mercedes held on tightly to Sam's shoulders, trying to adjust to his size. Sam gripped her hips strongly as he moved into her swiftly; Mercedes couldn't control her moans as his powerful thrusts rocked her entire body, ripping dirty things from lips unexpectedly.

"Oh shit! Yeeeees! Right there!" Mercedes yelled as she clawed her hands up and down Sam's arms.

"Oh my God you feel so good Mercy. So. Fucking. Good." Sam growled as he rammed into her harder, making her grab onto the sides of the sick as leverage.

The whole sink and wall were shaking from their powerful thrusts, Sam could feel the pressure building up in his sack, he knew he was going to come hard, and by the way Mercedes was shaking and babbling, he knew she was too.

"You ready to come for me Mercy? Huh? You going to come hard for me?" Sam asked between powerful thrust of his hips, using his thumb to rub her clit roughly.

"Ah! Yes! I'm going to come so hard! Please Sam! Mmm!" Mercedes moaned, twisting her hips to meet his, before she came in a flurry of curses and shivers. Sam followed quickly after, his warm seed sending tingles through her.

"I think we need another shower." Mercedes giggled as Sam joined in, wiping the sweat from her eyebrows as he carried her back to the shower.

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"Samuel Evans if you touch this cookie dough one more time I will fade you out." Mercedes threatened, swatting at Sam with a wooden spoon as she tried to scoop out the cookies onto a baking sheet. Sam just smiled as he ate his stolen scoop of cookie dough off of his finger.

"I'm sorry Mercy, but the more upset you get about it the more I'm going to do it." Sam laughed. He was only half joking, ever since he came back home, he was constantly looking for some sort of safe conflict. He had spent so much time fighting overseas that coming back to a safe environment felt almost…boring.

So he spent most days trying to rile Mercedes up enough to get her aggravated without causing a real argument, and then spend the rest of the day fucking one another into a stupor. Sam felt rather guilty though, their loud love making had started to become a strain on Blaine and Kurt who were now always absent from the house.

"Yeah I just bet! If you keep eating the dough, how are we going to enjoy the cookies?" Mercedes asked, placing the cookies into the oven, and turning to face him.

"I could think of some cookies I would love to enjoy right now." Sam said in a low voice, advancing on her as she slowly backed up, hitting the dining room table.

"Don't be a tease flutter bum. Nobody likes a tease." Mercedes murmured as Sam kissed up and down her neck, running his hands across her supple bottom.

Sam slowly kissed her lips, deepening the kiss when Mercedes sat on top of the table and pulled him down to her, wrapping her hands around his neck. The kiss was heated and passionate as Sam leaned over her, pressing her more into the table.

"I need to taste you Dollface." Sam moaned against her lips, grinding his hips into her.

Mercedes shivered at the thought. Sam was more than talented with his tongue and always eager to go down on her. She could only nod her head in response, as he lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom, laying her down on the bed and quickly disrobing both of them.

Sam crawled back to where she now lay spread open in the middle of the bed, panting in anticipation of what was to come. Sam quickly flipped them, with her now straddling his extremely firm stomach. Sam gripped her hips tightly and pulled her up his chest until her thighs were on either side of his head, and swiped her warm opening with his tongue without warning.

Mercedes groaned and gripped the headboard as Sam held her firmly as he continued to devour her walls. "Mmm. Shit Mercy you taste so good." Sam moaned from between her legs, the vibrations spurring her 3rd orgasm as she rode his face faster and harder, screaming his praises as loud as humanly possible.

She finally collapsed, almost on the verge of passing out, next to Sam looking at him through hooded eyes.

"You okay Dollface? You look like you're going to tap out." Sam smiled at her.

"I'm better than fine. But your cookies are burning." She smiled back as Sam quickly jumped up to save his treats from the oven.

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"What are you cheesing about Dollface?" Sam asked as he and Mercedes lay cuddled together in their bed.

"Just thinking about how cranked I am that you're back for good." She replied with a smile.

"Yeah? Well so am I Mercy. Being away from you was torture baby girl." Sam said, pulling her closer to him.

"You have no idea how much I missed you Sammy." Mercedes said, sitting up and leaning over him. "I missed seeing your smile, your eyes, even your corny jokes." She said, causing them both to laugh. "I missed your smell," she paused to punctuate it with a kiss to a scar on his chest. "your touch, your lips." She said, kissing up his chest until she reached his lips.

Mercedes crashed her lips to his in a passionate kiss, slowly straddling his lap as Sam's large hands came up to grip her hips.

"The only thing worse than not knowing where you were was thinking about not having you touch me again. Not being able to feel you kiss me, or have you inside me." Mercedes murmured against his lips as she grinded her hips into him.

"Mercy." Sam could only groan in response as she continued with her slow torture.

"What do you want Sammy. Tell me what you want baby." She demanded sensually, grinding into him harder; letting his stiff member brush past her slick opening again and again but denying entry.

"Please ride me baby. I need it. I need you." Sam growled.

Mercedes finally relented and slid down his hard dick slowly, adjusting to his size with a low moan.

They started out slowly, trying to develop their rhythm. Soon Mercedes was bouncing almost violently, her hair flying around her sensually as one hand gripped his chest and the other pinching her nipple.

"Yeees! Ride this cock baby! So fucking good." Sam moaned, slapping Mercedes ass repeatedly, making her moan louder.

"Oh God! You like this baby. You like when ride your big fucking dick. Huh." Mercedes demanded, slamming down onto him harder, leaning back to give him a view of him sliding in and out of her as she fondled his heavy nut sack.

"FUUUUCK! Yes! Just like that Mercy! Oh shit I'm gonna come!" Sam exclaimed, reaching up to rub her clit as he exploded into her.

Mercedes shuddered as she felt their combined orgasm run down her inner thigh, as she lay collapsed onto his chest.

"We are NEVER leaving the house again." Mercedes declared once she could see straight again.

"Agreed. Now I think I'm going to pass out now." Sam said, slowly slipping into unconsciousness with Mercedes following suit.

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"Goodness, do you think they're _finally_ done?" Blaine asked Kurt exasperated.

"Not by a long shot, love. But at least for now we can watch television without captions." Kurt smiled happily, cuddling next to his boyfriend as they enjoyed their few moments of peace before the horny couple awoke and started all over again.

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**So what did you guys think? Hope the reviewers that left me suggestions for the chapter were satisfied with what i did with it. Next chapter: things get real with the guys and their PTSD. As always please leave a review. **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE! We need a little Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa in the world right now, something to brighten up the dark cloud that is floating around. In happier news: we all "survived" 12/21/12. I knew it was all a bunch of crap, but you know se la vie. **

**Well I hope you guys enjoy the update, but chances are some of you are going to hate me for it. Sorry! **

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Sam Evans was not the same man. He knew it, Mercedes knew it, and anybody who looked at him knew it. The bags under his eyes showed his lack of sleep, he was jittery, and he didn't want to leave the house unless it was absolutely necessary. Having Mercedes around him constantly was the only thing that helped him feel normal; but that didn't last long.

Mercedes couldn't stay at home fucking Sam forever, she had been promoted at work and had to go back; and without Mercedes there Sam felt like an alien. His old apartment and job were still open and waiting for him and he went back. But things were obviously different; even his co-workers could tell the normally happy and outgoing man was withdrawn, and quiet. But his friends and family were the most worried; the only ones who seemed to understand were Mike, and Puck, who were going through the same thing in their own way.

"Momma I don't know what to do. Things just aren't the same; I'm really worried about him." Mercedes admitted, sitting on the couch with her mother, wringing her hands nervously.

"You got's to talk to him baby." Dorothy said, handing her daughter a cup of hot tea, before sitting next to her.

"He won't talk to me about it momma. Ever since I went back to work, we've just gotten…distant." She said sadly, thinking back to when things had changed.

* * *

_Mercedes knew they couldn't stay in paradise forever and that reality was out there and it wasn't going to wait for them. She thought everything was getting back to normal; Sam was practically living with her, and she was getting a new level of respect from her co-workers._

_"One more hour Mercy. Just give me one more hour." Sam pleaded, holding Mercedes from behind, begging her to come back to bed and go back to sleep with him, he could only sleep when he was holding her._

_"You said that yesterday Sam and I ended up going in 3 hours late." She said turning around to face him. "You know you could always go back to the paper so we'll be working in the same building again." She hinted with a small smile. _

_She wanted desperately for him to get out of the house. She knew he didn't sleep very well at night; many times she would lie beside him, talking him down from a horrifying nightmare, only to awake hours later to find him missing from their bed. Between that, the disappearing at random hours of the day, the isolation from their friends, and the drinking she didn't know what to do to help him. She tried talking to him about it, but he would shut down or change the subject. She hoped that going back to work would help him. _

_"I know that. The job and the apartment are still there waiting for me. Between you and my mother I hear about it every day! You know, if you want me gone all you have to do is say so!" Sam said exasperated, moving away from Mercedes and stomping around the room, collecting his clothes. He felt like everyone was trying to push him back into a mold that he just couldn't fit into. _

_"Sam no one wants you gone! Especially me! After everything we went through, you think that's what I want!" Mercedes exclaimed in disbelief. _

_"You tell me Mercedes! Every day you're trying to force me to do this or do that! To get back into the old me! Well the old Sam is gone! He died over there! Okay?" Sam yelled, his eyes brimming with tears. "I'm broken Mercy, I wish I could get the old me back but I can't. I can't get my shit together and I'm not dragging you down with me." Sam said sadly, turning away from her and packing his things. _

_"Sam I already told you I would help you! I can fix you, we can fix you! You just have to let me! Why are you giving up on yourself?! Stop being scared to fight for yourself!" Mercedes yelled, tears running down her face as she walked up to him. _

_"I am NOT scared of fighting for myself! I'm scared of the new me! I'm afraid of what the new me will do!" Sam exclaimed, moving away from her. "I have nightmares about those people Mercy! I can still hear their screams, I can see the blood of my men, and I can feel the metal in my chest! And I look at the people around me and I don't see my friends! I see those people I killed, and the people that tried to kill me!" he cried, stepping away from her every time she tried to come near him. _

_"I would never forgive myself if I hurt anyone here. Especially you." _

_"What are you saying Sam?" she asked in a broken sob. _

_"I can't stay here with you anymore. Not when the nightmares and flashbacks are getting worse. I don't trust myself around you, or anybody." He said, not meeting her eyes. _

_"Don't you dare say what I think you're going to say! You promised! You promised you would never leave me again!" she screamed between sobs. _

_"I can't do this to you anymore! It's been 2 weeks Mercy! If I was going to get better I would've by now! But I haven't! And I can't drag you down with me!" Sam exclaimed, grabbing his bag and storming out of her room, past Kurt and Blaine, and to the door. _

_"Sam Evans don't you dare walk out on me! Why are you giving up on us again?!" she wailed. _

_"Because I love you. And you deserve better." He said, walking out of the door. _

* * *

That had been a month ago, and though she always knew where he was, and vice versa, he wouldn't talk to her. He wouldn't return her calls and he avoided their friends.

Mercedes was left heartbroken once again, only this time it hurt so much more. She knew exactly where he was, but he was pushing her away. All she wanted to do was save him. She knew he would never be the same man that he was before he left, that carefree Sam, but she didn't care. She just wanted him back, and she couldn't understand why he wouldn't let her take care of him. That's all she wanted to do!

"Baby, things ain't gon get any better unless you talk to him." Dorothy said again, patting her daughter's knee.

"He. Won't. Talk. To. Me. Momma! How the hell am I supposed to talk to him if he won't even talk to me?!" Mercedes asked exasperated. She felt exhausted and frustrated and it showed. She had been feeling this way for a few weeks, starting with the fatigue and the up and down mood, and then there was the day she fainted at work. The stress with Sam was getting to her in the worse ways, her eating habits had started to get out of control and she was getting sicker every day. She needed to do something about this, and the only person she could turn to was her mother.

Dorothy smirked at her daughter wisely. She knew those signs; the agitation and her mood swings. She knew and Mercedes was clueless.

"Well you's gon have to talk to him soon enough to tell him the news." Her mother said.

"To tell him what news momma?" Meredes asked tiredly.

"To tell him he gon be a daddy." She said plainly, sitting back in her seat and taking a sip of her tea.

Mercedes nearly dropped her cup on the floor. Her brain refused to process what her mother was saying to her.

"T-tell him what?" she stammered.

"Mercedes, you pregnant. And you know it." Her mother said, looking into her eyes deeply, as Mercedes tried to avert her gaze.

Mercedes didn't want to admit that a part of her did know, she just didn't want to face it. The cravings and morning sickness, the fatigue and the dizziness. She just pushed it off as stress from work, but a small part of her knew she was pregnant.

"Oh God. What am I going to do? I'm not ready." Mercedes whined, wringing her hands and trying not to cry.

"Ready for what?" Robert asked, walking into the house from work.

Mercedes looked anxiously at her mother, then fearfully at her father. She and her father had never talked about her relationship with Sam. He simply chose to ignore it in a way, but what would he do now that his only daughter was pregnant by a white boy? Disown her? Make her give it up? Kill Sam?

"Here Robert, you go on and sit down, I'm gone make you a plate." Dorothy said, getting up, but never taking her eyes off of Mercedes as she made her way to the kitchen.

"What's wrong fatty bread?" Robert asked, he knew when something was wrong with his daughter.

Ever since the day she was born, he could just look at her and know if he needed to make her laugh, or give her words of encouragement, or kick some ass, or just hold his little baby. He could already tell this was going to be one of those holding times.

"Daddy…Sam…I…We…I'm pregnant." She finally got out after what felt like a painfully long time to get her thoughts together.

Robert looked at his sobbing daughter and knew that she was suffering, not just because of whatever was happening between her and that boy, but because she was worried about what he would say or think. He could tell by the way she hung her head in shame, she was afraid he'd be disappointed.

"C'mere little girl." Robert whispered, opening his arms to her. Mercedes wasted no time throwing herself into the familiar comfort of her father.

"Mercedes you gon always be my baby. You know that don't you?" He stated, stroking her back.

"Y-yes." She sobbed into his chest.

"Then what you so afraid of? Huh?" he asked.

"Daddy I don't know what to do. I don't know how to take care of a baby, I can barely get an apartment on my own, and now Sam is gone. I can't do this." She murmured.

"Yes you can. You a Jones, and 'can't' has never been a Jones' vocabulary. Now what you gon do is put on your big girl pants, keep your head high, and keep on movin'. Cause that what we do. We keep moving and don't let nothin' stand in our way." Robert stated determinedly, hugging her closer to him. "You remember that bible verse, yo momma and I always used to tell you?" he asked her calmly.

"I can do all things through Christ that strengthen me." Mercedes said, nodding her head in agreement as she felt the words sink in. Her father was right. She wasn't weak, she was strong and independent.

If she had to go through this pregnancy on her own, then so be it. If she had to search forever for her own apartment to support her and her baby, then so be it. But she wasn't going to cry and be weak anymore. If Sam didn't want her anymore, then so be it. She would always love him, and if he ever came back to his senses, she would take him back.

But in the mean time she couldn't be selfish anymore, she had another life she was now responsible for, and she had to focus on that. She was going to get her head back in the game. One way or another.

Dorothy watched from around the corner as father and daughter held each other, before making her way silently to the phone, and dialing a familiar number.

"Hello? Mary? It's Betty. I gots something to tell you…"

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**So please don't hate me for splitting them up...again. But you'll see in the next chapters. How many of you saw Mercy being pregnant coming? lol I know right! WANKY! As always please leave a review. **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Okay I know it's been forever since I've updated. But here is Sam's side of life after war. Tell me what you think!**

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Mary Evans hung up the phone after a brief but informative talk with her longtime friend Betty Jones. She stood in her kitchen for a while thinking of what to do. She needed to tell Sam, maybe this news would pull him out of his inner turmoil. She could tell her son was in pain, mentally and emotionally. He spent more time around her house now than he did when he was a kid. He would spend hours up in his room, looking through old photo albums of him and Mercedes when they were kids. He thought no one knew, since he was sure to return the albums back to their original place when he was done, but Mary knew better.

She knew her son, and she knew that he needed help. He needed Mercedes; he just didn't want to admit it.

Just then she heard her husband come in from the backyard, Dwight had started taking more days off of work the more Sam had started to come over. He was waiting for Sam to open up about what happened. He understood that it was going to take some time for him to open up, but he also recognized that look in his eyes. The Thousand Yard Stare, they used to call it; he would sometimes watch Sam from a distance, stare off into nothing for hours on end, losing himself in his own mind.

"Dwight, come here. I have to tell you something." Mary said in a hushed tone, since Sam was in the next room flipping silently through the paper, no doubt reading Mercedes column like he always did.

Minutes later Dwight was standing in the door frame watching his son, thinking back to when he was a young boy who used to look up to him for everything. The boy that would try to walk around the house in his dress shoes and steal his ties to wear to school.

"Hey Sam, come on take a drive with me." Dwight suggested, waiting for Sam to acknowledge him with a small nod and follow him out door.

They drove around for a while, out of the Lima city limits and off of the freeway, making his way down unfamiliar roads.

"What's going on dad?" Sam finally asked, looking away from the window and to his father.

Dwight rode for a little longer, before pulling into a deserted field off a dirt road, before addressing him.

"I'm not a brave man Sam. I do things because that's what's expected of me. I went into a war I didn't believe in because it was expected, I went to an Ivy League college because it was expected, I took over my father's business because it was expected. The only thing I've done on my own without anyone telling me too was marrying your mother and starting a family when I wanted to. But after a while, I even let people tell me how to do that too." Dwight paused to look at his son.

"I love you and your siblings and your mother, so much. Hurting you all because someone told me it was expected of a man in my position to have a mistress was the biggest regret of my life. I hoped that you wouldn't turn out like me. That you wouldn't be a coward like your old man." Dwight said, looking out of the windshield, out into the distance.

Sam looked at his father in shock; he had never seen this side to him before.

"I'm proud that you're not like me Sam. You're everything I wish I could've been: creative, outgoing, caring…and brave. You had the guts to go to war. I never told anybody this but, when I was drafted, I was terrified. I wanted to run to Canada." Dwight paused to let it sink in, not catching the small smirk on Sam's face at the thought of running to Canada.

"But I just kept thinking about what people would say, what they would think if I didn't go. I kept thinking about my family's reputation, and what others would say about Dwight high tailing it to Canada. So I went against everything I thought was right, and I went to war. I wish I had never gone. The things I saw, the things I did. They haunted me for years. But I was too ashamed to say I needed help. So I tried to push it away, and when that didn't work I tried drinking it away and working it away, but nothing helped. I still have the nightmares sometimes. Can still hear the screams, see the bodies… And so can you Sam." Dwight looked over at his son, to see angry tears running down his face.

"I can't get rid of them dad. Every time I close my eyes, I'm right back there. In the shit all over again, surrounded by death. Every time I sleep I can hear the bombs going off! " Sam strained through tears, rubbing his eyes as if he were trying to scrub away the memories. "The only time I could ever even try to sleep…was with Mercy." He whispered.

"You need to get help Sam. I couldn't do it, but you can. You have us, and your friends…and Mercedes and your family." Dwight said grabbing Sam's shoulder.

"W-what?" Sam asked through his tearful haze.

Dwight nodded his head, "You're going to have a family of your own soon Sam."

"I can't do anything for them! Look at me pop! I'm fucked up!" Sam cried into his hands, his whole body shaking.

"You can do it Sam; you are an Evans! You didn't cower away from going to war, or being with a Negro girl, in spite of knowing what you two would go through. You do whatever you need to do to get back to being you!" Dwight told him, pulling Sam to him.

They sat in the car for a few more hours, Sam crying on his father's shoulder, and Dwight giving him the comfort that was long over do.

When they finally came back into town, Sam raced into the house and called Mike and Puck. He was going to get his shit together, and he was going to start by reconnecting with his boys who had been there with him, who had seen the things he had, and survived just like he did.

"Hey Puck. It's me man. Can we talk?" Sam asked his voice hoarse from crying.

"Evans, I've been waiting for this call for a long time bro." Puck said, his smile evident through his voice.

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**So what did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? What did you think of Dwight's speech? I'm starting to think I have a thing for daddy redemption speeches lol. **

**As always leave me a review, tell me what you think. :-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Holy hell you guys I'm sooo sorry! I didn't even realize I haven't updated this story in a while until I looked at the dates. **

**I know most of you are waiting for an update of Summer Lovin', but I'm having some trouble with inspiration lately. **

**Okay in this chapter there is some consumption of alcohol while pregnant, but this was the 50's, smoking and drinking while pregnant was common, so I hope this doesn't offend anyone. **

**Enjoy you guys! **

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"Come on everyone! Let's raise our glasses and celebrate some of our most talented columnist being signed to Vogue!" Terri Shuester exclaimed, raising a glass of champagne in the crowded room, earning applause from everyone in the room.

It had been two weeks since Mercedes found out she was pregnant and swore to buckle down, and she did. Now here she was along with Kurt and a few others being asked to come to New York in a few short months to work at the prestigious Vogue Magazine.

She was beyond elated, but there was an obvious gap in her life. She had yet to tell Sam she was pregnant, she tried calling him a couple of times, but of course there was no response, and she stopped pushing. She missed him, and as happy as her friends and family were for her New York move, they were worried for her health.

"Still babysitting that glass of champagne Queen?" Kurt asked from beside her, as the room buzzed busily around them.

"I'm not in the mood to get drunk tonight Kurt, I have too much on my mind." She sighed, setting the glass down on a nearby table, and smoothed out her blood red halter wiggle dress, trying not to adjust the corset underneath too much.

No one at her job knew she was pregnant besides Kurt and her bosses, how Terri and Emma found out, God only knows.

"Well ain't that a bite. Our big bash and you aren't drinking? This party is going to blow." Kurt said, bumping her hip with his making her laugh.

"So have you told him yet?" Kurt asked, after they had mingled, and talked with many of the nicer people they worked with.

"Unless he magically shows up here with a change of heart, nothing has changed from yesterday, or the day before that. Its dead air, Kurt." She said sadly, sipping her wine gingerly.

"Wow, speak of the devil…" Kurt murmured, looking towards the door.

Mercedes followed his gaze and saw that the commotion at the door was being caused by non-other than Sam Evans. He was trying to get in, but was being held back by security.

"Sam?" She yelled in shock, watching confused as Sam made his way into the party, through the crowd and straight to her.

"Sam what are you-" she was asking, before she cut off by Sam's lips on hers, causing a loud gasp to erupt through the crowd.

"I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, and I know I have been apologizing ever since I came back, but I'm so sorry and I love you and I promise I will never leave you again." Sam said pulling away with his hands still cradling her face.

"I've heard this all before." she said in disbelief.

"I had to get myself together Mercy, I was all fucked up and I didn't want you seeing me like that. I know you said you wanted to fix me, but I had to do it on my own first." He said, searching her eyes trying to get her to understand.

"What if you relapse? What's going to stop you from leaving me again? Cause my heart can't take much more of this Sam." She admitted, adverting her tearful to the enraptured crowd.

"Because I have so much more to live for now; we both do." Sam said softly, laying his hand on top of her stomach.

"How did you- Who told you?" she asked softly in shock.

"There are no secrets between our mothers Mercy." Sam gently smiled.

"Are you mad?" she asked, looking up into his big green eyes.

"I could never be mad at you Mercy. I was the one who was running away. But I want a family with you Mercedes. I want you." He said, never taking his eyes off of her, not caring that all of these strangers were staring at them like they were a soap opera.

"Sam, I mean it this time. DON'T. LEAVE. ME. AGAIN." She stated sternly.

"I swear on my life Mercy. If I fuck up again you have the right to slap me again." He said.

"Oh I'm going to do more than slap you if you leave me again." She said with a faint smile.

"I know you two are having a lovely moment, and no one appreciates romance more than me, especially forbidden romance. But we are having a party, so…" Emma came up, interrupting their reunion.

"It's okay, we were just leaving." Mercedes said, pulling Sam by the arm towards the door, not noticing Rachel glaring a hole into her back.

Once they were outside they turned and looked at each other before separating to their cars and drove back to Mercedes apartment. They got out and stood in front of the apartment in awkward silence, staring at one another.

"Sam… I want to be with you more than anything. But you keep running from me, and I don't know if I can handle this. Not now." Mercedes said sadly, absentmindedly rubbing her belly.

Sam followed the movement with his eyes before responding. "Mercy, I don't know what to say besides I'm so sorry." Sam said with pleading eyes, taking her hands in his. "I love you so much that I can't even think straight, I just… I couldn't let you see me like that. Mercy I was a wreck. I couldn't escape my own thoughts; my own memories were driving me crazy. Whenever you were around I could lose myself in you, but I couldn't keep you hostage in your bed forever. The thought of you seeing me… I couldn't let you see that Mercy." Sam said, squeezing her hands, trying to get her to understand.

"Sam I don't care about any of that! Jesus how many times do I have to say it! I. Want. To. Help. You! I love you! That's what you do for people you love. I've seen you at terrible times Sam, I don't care!" Mercedes exclaimed loudly, flailing her arms.

"This isn't like me finding out my dad is a cheater, or when I thought I couldn't read! I was dangerous! I could have hurt you Mercy!" Sam yelled with tears in eyes, Mercedes finally seeing the hurt and fear behind them.

"Sammy…" she whispered.

"No Mercy! Do you know what I would do if anything happened to you? Especially because of me?!" Sam said exasperated, running his fingers worriedly through his hair.

Mercedes stood there staring at the man she loved with tears in her eyes. She hated seeing him hurting, but he was hurting her also.

"Sam I think we should spend some time away from each other for a while, we both have some things we need to figure out." Mercedes said with tears streaming down her face.

Sam looked at Mercedes in disbelief for a moment, trying to decide whether to fight her on this or not.

"You don't want us to be together?" Sam asked sadly, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking.

"I do want us to be together, but right now we're both just so fucked up, I think we need some time to ourselves." Mercedes sniffled.

"We just spent weeks apart from each other Mercy! How much more time do you need?!" Sam demanded, starting to pace.

"And whose fault was that?! I wasn't the one avoiding you and keeping shit from you Sam!" Mercedes yelled, pointing at him.

"Are you sure about that? When were you going to tell me you were pregnant? Were you ever going to tell me, or were you going to wait til the baby was here?" Sam demanded, pointing at her belly.

"It's hard to tell an empty phone line you're pregnant Sam!" Mercedes countered, stepping to him angrily.

Sam looked down at fiery little woman in front of him and couldn't help the feelings of arousal that was coursing through him. They had been apart for so long; all Sam did was think about holding her again. Feeling every inch of her.

Mercedes could see the change in Sam's eyes almost immediately. She knew that look, her own eyes probably looked the same way. She would be lying if she said she didn't miss him. She missed waking up next to him, and having him hold her.

Before Mercedes knew it her lips were being captured by Sam's. She didn't have to catch her own breath before she was pushing her tongue back into Sam's mouth to combat his. His hands were all over, grabbing and pulling her hips and ass forcibly, as her hands gripped at his neck and shoulders.

She had just felt herself being pushed up against her apartment door and her legs being spread slightly apart by Sam's knee before she came to her senses.

She tried and failed about three times to push Sam away; being pulled back by the kisses he placed on her neck, or the knee that was rubbing against her center. She pushed him again, jumping away from him.

They stood there staring at one another, chest heaving and their red swollen lips, searching each other's eyes for answers.

"I think you should go." Mercedes said lowly, unable to take the smoldering look Sam was giving her.

Sam continued to stare at her, daring her to look back at him. "Fine. But I'm not giving up on us Mercy. I'm going to be around. Whether you want me to or not." Sam sighed, turning to walk back towards his car.

"Good." Mercedes said to herself, turning and walking into her apartment.

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**So what did you guys think? What do you think Sam will do to get her back? I thought about bringing in Shane as potential competition for Sam, but then I was like "Nah, I'm not Ryan Murphy." lol **

**I hope you guys enjoyed it, and as always please leave a review to let me know what you think. **

**If you guys would like to see anything in SUMMER LOVIN' please leave it in the review, like I inspiration is few and far between. **


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: WOW. THIS ACTUALLY FEELS KIND OF WEIRD. I KNOW THAT MOST OF YOU PROBABLY HATE ME FOR NOT UPDATING IN ALMOST A YEAR, AND REALLY THERE SHOULD BE NO EXCUSE. BUT I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR (JUST GRADUATED 6/7/2013 ) DEALING WITH FINAL EXAMS, COLLEGE APPLICATIONS (GOT ACCEPTED TO WVWC ON A $36,000 PERFORMING ARTS SCHOLARSHIP), AND NOT TO MENTION FAMILIA DRAMA. BUT IM NOW FREE FROM SCHOOL UNTIL AUGUST WHEN I WILL OFFICIALLY ENROLL IN COLLEGE, SO FEEL FREE TO BERATE ME ABOUT MY ABSENCE. I AM STILL WORKING ON SUMMER LOVIN' I HAVEN'T GIVEN UP ON ANY OF MY STORIES, ITS JUST NOW THAT I HAVE THE TIME TO WORK ON THEM. **

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Mercedes quickly found out that Sam was not kidding when he said he was going to be around. Every day she would find Sam waiting outside of her apartment, offering her a ride, which she would decline, followed by him just happening to be on her floor during her lunch break, which she had to stop taking at her normal time to avoid him, and ending with him following her back home. If not for the fact that it was the man she was in love with, it would have terrifying. But from Sam it was endearing, especially since almost everyone in her office shipped them, and it pissed off Rachel to no end.

But with Mercedes coming to end of her 1st Trimester, playing cat and mouse with Sam was becoming too exhausting. She could see the visible changes in him, he looked healthier and more vibrant then he had when he first came back; but she wanted to know where his head was at. She knew from Quinn that Puck and Mike had been holding meetings with Sam almost every day, but with Sam she could never be sure.

Like clockwork, Sam was leaning against his car outside of her apartment, waiting for her to decline his offer to drive her work. He honestly didn't care if she turned him down every day for their lives. He would be there to offer, and at her to take her to lunch, which he knew she changed her lunch time to avoid him, he didn't care about that either. He would always be there to watch over her from afar.

So there he stood, diligent and patient as ever, pulling a drag from his 3rd cigarette as he waited for her. He had already waved goodbye to Blaine and Kurt as they hopped into their vehicles and departed for the day. But he waited expectantly for her to emerge.

Mercedes strutted out of the apartment and straight towards Sam. Sam felt his heartbeat start to quicken as he saw Mercedes make her way towards him purposefully for the time in weeks.

Mercedes stood in front of Sam taking in his sleek black dress pants and crisp white shirt and tie, as Sam in turn took in her smooth ¾ sleeve lavender sweater, and black pencil skirt.

"Well are you going to open the door, or are you waiting for the baby to fall out first?" Mercedes sassed playfully, as she tapped her foot in mock impatience.

"Oh yeah, of course Dollface." Sam says hurriedly, unable to keep the giddy smile off of his face, as he opens the passenger side door of his car to her. Before rushing into the car, where he sat and stared at her.

"Start the car Sam." Mercedes murmured after growing tired of avoiding his stare.

"Mercy-"

"Start the car Sam." Mercedes said louder.

"So we're not gonna talk?" Sam asked incredulously.

Mercedes remained silent as she stared out of the window.

"What are you doing here Mercedes?" Sam asked silently, turning and looking at her full on.

"I live here-" she started.

"You know what I mean. What are you doing in my car? What are we doing here?" Sam asked, cutting her off before she could start in on the bullshit.

Again, Mercedes remained quiet, unable to speak past the lump growing in her throat, as she unwittingly rubbed her growing belly.

"Am I a closet case to you Mercedes?" Sam whispered sadly.

At that Mercedes whipped around to look at him, her heart breaking that he would think that.

"How could you even say that?" Mercedes asked hoarsely, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

"What do you expect me to think? I come by to see you every day, and you swerve me at every chance." Sam replied back, sounding just as heart broken.

"How do expect me to react when you faded out? How am I supposed to trust you again?" Mercedes asked, facing him. "I know you're talking to Puck and Mike about happened, and I am so happy that you're getting help. But would you have come back to me so soon if you hadn't known about the baby?" Mercedes asked before he could answer her first question.

And there it was the one question that had been hanging in the air around them since the night of the party. That had been the question on Mercedes mind for weeks, making it nearly impossible for her to talk to or even look at Sam. What if he was only back for their child? Was there any love left on his part for her? If so how could he keep leaving her so easily, leaving her brokenhearted and confused?

Sam sat in silence for a moment, mulling over her question. He asked himself the same question, in moments of doubt. It was true, hearing the news of impending fatherhood had lit a fire under his ass, and made him run, not walk, to Puck and Mike; but he knew he was going to do it. Not just for his own peace of mind, but for Mercedes too.

"I was going to come back to you. Hearing about our baby only made me want to fight for us harder. I know I sound like a broken record, but I didn't want to hurt you-"

"But you did Sam. And you can't even see it, but you did hurt me." Mercedes cut in, her tears on the brink.

Sam looked into her eyes for the first time in what felt like lifetimes, and he finally saw it. The hurt, but mostly he saw fear. She was afraid of him. Not that he would have a flashback and hit her, but that he would run again.

"Do you still love me Dollface?" Sam asked.

"It's not that-" Mercedes said, shaking her head.

"It's a simple yes or no Mercedes. Do you still love me?" Sam asked again, leaning in closer to her.

"Yes." Mercedes sniffed, "Yes I still love you. But I'm-"

"No. No buts. I love you and you love me. That's all that matters." Sam says, grasping her cheeks to make her look at him. "I don't want either of us to be afraid anymore. I want us to be here for each other, and I'm not running from this anymore. Cause this," he placed one hand on her stomach and placed her hand over his heart "is my future. This is our future."

Mercedes gnawed on her bottom lip, fighting back tears as she felt his heart beat under her fingers, matching her own. Their eyes met and it was like they were 16 years old all over again. They both knew it was going to be a struggle, but they were ready now. No more running. They were going to face their problems head on, together.

Mercedes walked into the office half an hour late, but she could care less. It was like she had an emotional purge, she felt weightless and untouchable. She even had the good grace to ignore the jealous sneer on Rachel's face as she sat at her new singular desk that was adjacent to Kurt's.

"What buzzin' honey bee? You look like you're on cloud nine. I mean, if cloud nine were 6 ft tall with green eyes and blonde hair." Kurt said, as he sat on the edge of her desk as she set up her type writer.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mercedes grinned, trying to ignore him as she gather up all of the files on her desk.

"Don't play ditz Queen, that's Brittany's job. I know what time Sam shows up to the apartment, and I know exactly how long it usually takes for you to reject him and drive here. I also know that you don't have your car keys jingling in your bag. Soooooo, again, what's the word?" Kurt explained knowingly.

"Wow Kurtsie, you need a hobby." Mercedes replied in awe.

"Queen, you and Sam _are _hobby. I even have a joint name for you two." He said.

"Really? What is it?" she asked excitedly.

"Well, actually, Tina came up with it. I was going to go with Jevans, but Tina was right, Samcedes has a better ring to it."

"Samcedes? That sounds like a knock-off car brand. I think I like Jevans better." Mercedes asked in disgust, before giggling along with Kurt.

"Stop changing the subject." Kurt demanded, once their giggling ceased.

"Does anyone ever work in this office?" Mercedes murmured, when she caught a few of the ladies, including Rachel, watching their conversation.

"I'll tell you at lunch. These walls have ears around here." She loudly, ensuring that everyone within earshot could hear her.

"Fine. But I want full on juicy details." Kurt said, before walking back to his desk

"Pssh. Me too." Mercedes heard an intern, Kitty, murmur before scurrying off along with another young girl, realizing that they had been caught.

Mercedes laughed kindheartedly, before diving into her work. Now she and Kurt had been promoted, her work load was a lot heavier, but she wasn't complaining. More work meant more responsibility, meant higher pay. So there she was, 2 and a half hours into looking over present and future dress styles to write reviews when her nostrils were assaulted with scent of overpriced grandma perfume and bitterness.

"Can I help you with something, Rachel?" Mercedes sighed, turning and looking at the girl who had been hovering over her desk for a full minute without addressing her.

"I know what you're doing, and it's not going to work." Rachel stated smugly.

"I can honestly say I have no idea what you are talking about, nor do I care." Mercedes said, looking Rachel as if she had lost her mind.

"I'm talking about how you trapped poor Sam. Why can't you just find another negro to chase after you?" Rachel asked with false sweetness.

Mercedes stood up slowly, never breaking her deathly glare on Rachel, "Look, man hands; my business with Sam is just that: my business. I never planned on bringing it into the workplace, but it's out there. However, that does not entitle you or anyone else in this office to have an open forum on my personal life. Because I'll be honest with you Rachel, I don't give a damn about you, and could careless what's going on with you in or out of this office. So I suggest you return the favor." Mercedes said loudly, so that the people eavesdropping would be sure to hear her.

Rachel, spurred on by the growing audience, upped the ante.

"You know there's a rumor going around that you're knocked up. Which I'm guessing is true considering you're as big as a Buick." Rachel snickered to herself, before moving in closer towards Mercedes but keeping her voice just as loud. "But is that _thing _really Sam's, or is going to come out a dirty nigger like its mother?"

The audible gasp that came from everyone within earshot almost drowned out the sound of a hand moving through the air and violently connecting with the side of Rachel's face, sending her flying to the floor.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Rachel squealed, holding the side of her face, which was now an angry red, with tears in her eyes.

"Don't you _ever _fix your face to call me that again. Or so God help me I will kill you." Mercedes hissed, knelling down in her face.

"Rachel. Mercedes. Is there a problem?" Terri asked, as she emerged through the small crowd.

"Oh Terri! Thank God! Mercedes just attacked me!" Rachel exclaimed, scrambling to stand far away from Mercedes.

"Mercedes is that true? Did you attack Rachel?" Terri asked, looking between the two young women.

"Yes. Yes I did." Mercedes admitted shamelessly.

"Alright then. Everyone get back to work." Terri announced, turning to head back to her office.

"What?! You're not going to do anything? She attacked me like a wild animal! There should be consequences for her actions!" Rachel exclaimed hysterically.

"I'm glad you said that Rachel, because that's exactly what happened. I heard what you said, and I know that you have been harassing Mercedes within the office. And you received consequences for your actions." Terri said, sending deadly glares towards Rachel and nodding once at Mercedes before disappearing into her office.

"Well, I guess that's lunch." Kurt said, breaking the awkward silence within the office, grabbing Mercedes arm and leading her away where they ran into Sam.

Mercedes immediately knew what he was thinking as he stood before her with a smug smirk that had Mercedes rolling her eyes.

"Don't say anything." She warned, pushing past as Kurt disappeared.

"Wow, calm down slugger. Wouldn't want you using that right hook on me." Sam joked, throwing his hands up in mock defense, following her towards the elevator.

"Sam Evans you are just now getting back on my good side. Do not push it." Mercedes seethed, turning towards Sam, where he could finally see the emotions in her eyes.

"Dollface." Sam crooned, pulling Mercedes to him in a comforting embrace.

"What do I have to do to get some respect around here? I'm so sick of this shit, everywhere I go it's more of the damn same." Mercedes lamented into Sam's shoulder as he slowly moved her into the empty elevator for privacy.

"Fuck Rachel. Fuck those punks in the park. Fuck all of them. All that matters is how we feel about each other. And if anyone tries to hurt you, you come to me. If you can't, just beat the shit out of em' like you did to Rachel." He said lightheartedly.

Mercedes smiled bashfully up at Sam, trying not to smile. Before she finally noticed that she was in a moving box.

"Sam where are we going?" she asked in confusion, feeling the elevator moving down.

"We're leaving." He stated nonchalantly.

"What?! I can't just leave work because my boyfriend says so." Mercedes exclaimed in disbelief.

Sam tried not to dwell on the term boyfriend, and how wrong it sounded considering she was carrying his child.

"Yes you can, I already told Kurt whose gonna pass the message on to Ms. Pillsbury and Mrs. Shuester. No worries Dollface. I'm on top of it." Sam smiled easily.

"Mmmhmm, I bet you're on top of it." Mercedes murmured, as Sam smiled lecherously.

"Oh you have no idea how on top of it I'm going to be." Sam whispered into her ear, making her shiver.

Mercedes heard the ding of the elevator doors and knew that the minute she was out of the building she was going to be at the lustful mercy of Sam Evans. And she was in deep trouble.

* * *

**So i know this chapter is kinda short, and may be a little unfulfilled. But like I said I have been more than a little distracted. But as always feel free to leave a review. **

**I really have missed you guys, I missed writing and REALLY missed receiving reviews from you all. I don;t think you guys realize that you are a big part of my life. You're all like extensions of me, and all of my interests. So I guess what I'm trying to say is, Progress report: I've been missing you to death. 3 **


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